Effects of Increased Physiological Arousal on Upper Extremity Reaction and Movement Times in Healthy Young Adults

Abstract

Problem statement: Research has suggested that examining attentional demands during functional tasks is an emergent area of study. Increased arousal may represent an attentional demand, resulting in impaired motor functioning in tasks that require fast reaction and movement times. Approach: This study examined the effects of a non-specific stressor and the resultant physiological arousal on upper extremity functional measures of motor performance. Forty-four young adult participants (X age = 20.6) were randomly assigned to either a stress/arousal group or non-stress control group. Arousal was altered through the use of the Stroop Color Word Task and mental subtraction tasks. Results: Paired-sample analyses revealed significant differences (p