Replication of age and physical activity effects on reaction and movement time

Abstract

The latency and consistency of simple reaction time, choice reaction time, and movement time of older men who chronically run or participate in racket sports were compared to those of nonactive men of similar age and also to young men of similar characteristics (young runners, young racketsportsmen, and young nonactive men). The findings of Spirduso's (1975) study, of which this investigation was both a replication and an expansion, that older active men physically reacted to stimuli and moved their forearm over a 20 cm distance as quickly as young sedentary men was reported. The older active men were far superior to older sedentary men in all measures. In addition, the older active group was similar to the groups in terms of group homogeneity and within-subject variability, unlike the older nonactive group, who revealed the commonly reported group heterogeneity and within-subject inconsistency.