4.0 Discussion
4.1 Introduction
The primary goal of the present study was to investigate how manipulating anxiety can impact cognitive performance during acute exercise bouts measuring four minutes per stage on an ergometer. The ergometer measures muscle power. Five stages of intensities were applied during the exercise trials under two conditions. The five intensities are listed below.
60% Heart Rate Response (HRR)
80% HRR
Cool down
Post 15 minutes
The two experimental conditions refers to the two types of stimuli.
congruent stimuli, and
incongruent stimuli
The research was built from previous studies carried out by Gratton, Coles, and Donchin (1992), Duncan et al. (2014) and Labelle et al. (2013). Past research determined that acute moderate exercise shows a favorable impact on cognitive performance (Blascovich and Tomaka 1996; Hardy 1990; McMorris et al. 2003; Lambourne, Audiffren and Tomprowoski 2010; McMorris, Sproule and Turner 2011; Chang and Labban, Gapin and Etnier 2012; Moore et al. 2012). Recent studies found that exercise intensity does not affect cognitive control (Davranche, Brisswalter and Radel 2015).
4.2 Findings
Three main findings were produced from the laboratory experiment by observing the entire exercise protocol. The first task accuracy and response time was significantly higher on incongruent trials. The second finding demonstrated that measured elevated somatic and cognitive anxiety did not show a decline in performance as expected under the catastrophe model scenario. The third finding was that both heart rate and Rating Perceived Exertion (RPE) results were graphed along an inverted-U pattern throughout the exercise protocol for both perceived conditions as well as MRF thought and tense scores.
4.2.1 Task accuracy and response time
The hypotheses for the study were developed based on the research by Stins et al. (2007). Stins et al. (2007: 396) found that accuracy data on the spatial conflict and flanker tanks share similarities but subtle differences are influential on “interference and sequential trial effects.”
The first hypothesis was that if participants are responding to stimuli identity then congruent trial accuracies will be high. The law states that having knowledge beforehand reduces uncertainty about the stimuli types that will be faced by the competition and result in faster RTs during competition (Eccles 2015). Travlos and Marisi (1995: 15) determined that healthy individuals in good shape do not “perform RT and concentration tasks better than individuals low in fitness. The results showed that during the exercise protocol of the current research, task accuracy and response time were found to be statistically significant during the incongruent trials. T
The results correlate with the Hick-Hyman Law on response times (RT) the produce a curvilinear graph (Hick 1952; Hyman 1953; Travlos and Marisi 1995). The Hicks Hyman Law (1952; 1953) state that response becomes longer as the number of options (flanker direction) increases as a result of requiring greater amounts of executive control (Hillman et al., 2003). See fig. X)
Figure X (Hicks-Hyman, 1952, 1953) The Hick-Hyman Law demonstrates a systematic relationship between number of alternate stimuli and choice-reaction time. According to the model, the time to make a decision increases as more choices are available.
The second hypothesis was that if alternate responses are exhibited when responding to stimuli identity then the incongruent trials will be low. Manipulating anxiety was an essential component of the study. Earlier research shows that incongruent trials result in slower response times than in congruent trials because a greater amount of control is needed. More time is needed because of the incorrect response activation before the completion of the evaluation (Kramer et al., 1994; Spencer and Coles, 1999. The researcher for the current study expected to find that performance was better when participants followed the exercise protocol under perceived competitive conditions as a result of arousal and selective attention. The expectation was not met so the second hypothesis was not fully supported.
Instead the participants felt tenser and less calm prior to exercise during perceived practice conditions (See figs. 14 & 15). Unexpectedly, the feelings of tenseness and anxiety improved their response speed and accuracy for both congruent and incongruent stimuli. The catastrophe model was not supported by the results because elevated somatic and cognitive anxiety did not cause a decline in performance. The reason for the discrepancy may have been related to the difficulty of measuring anxiety when relying upon self-reports. Therefore the current study may have been effective in accurately assessing cognitive anxiety and hence, that would explain the high levels of reported anxiety and pre-practice exercise recorded (Duncan et al., 2014).
Thirdly, the heart rate and RPE followed an inverted- U-pattern throughout the entire exercise protocol considering perceived conditions as well as the MRF thought and tense scores. The finding supported the hypothesis. The inverted-U was used as a predictor of outcome during exercise when physical demand was expected to increase as the heart rate of the participants reached 80% HRR. Therefore the heart rate and RFE scores increased (See fig.6). The participants became more worried and tense prior to completing the Flanker Task.
The Flanker Task results were expected to follow the inverted-U pattern based upon ar current research did not find that result was fully supported because only the incongruent response accuracy during practice. (See fig. 9) and incongruent response timed during competition (See fig. 12) demonstrated a slightly inverted-U shape. These results strengthen the conclusion reached by McMorris and Graydon (2000) that an inverted-U effect for incremental or progressively harder exercise on cognitive performance is not highly supported. Although an argument can be made that as participants become familiar with the task, performance increases as the trials continue; if true than quicker and more accurate responses would be observed.
The MRF tense scores were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA showing a statistically significant relationship between tense scores and perceived practice/competition conditions p=0.07. The post hoc analysis showed participants felt tenser at 60% HRR during perceived competition (p=0.07). The difference between MRF tense scores during post 15 minutes between practice and competition was statistically significant (p=0.02). Whereas, significant difference were not observed across the conditions of: at rest, at 80% HRR and during cool down (p>0.1 for all conditions).
4.3 Summary
RT results analysis suggested that congruent trials were easier to react to irrespective of trial conditions. The results for RT and incongruent stimuli suggest that during high intensity exercise, both accuracy and response time, where compromised may be due to physical fatigue making executive functions difficult to control effectively.
Results in reference to the EFI scores (feeling state) suggest that post-exercise fatigue and tiredness were not affected by trial conditions
The MRF tense scores suggest that the participants felt less tense pre-and post-competition trials, although their perceived HR and RPE exertions scores were the same as the perceived practice conditions.
The results of the current research suggest that response time reductions during high intensity exercise are probably due to physical fatigue and that may explain why executive function is not controlled effectively No statistically significant difference was found between perceived exertion results between the condition of increased exercise intensity and 80% HPR; suggesting that manipulating the perceived conditions did not compromise somatic anxiety.
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