Impact of Age and Gender on Reaction Time

This study investigates the impact of age and gender on reaction time. The hypothesis that reaction time reduces as age increases is proven correct, while the hypothesis that male gender has a higher reaction time than female gender is proven wrong. The study included 60 male and 60 female participants between the ages of 20 and 60. The materials utilized in this experiment were a stop watch, table, chair, meter ruler, and a reaction time chart.

Is reaction time affected by gender and age
between 20 and 60 years?
Name of the Student; Affiliation
Research Hypothesis
It is expected that the reaction time reduces as the age
increases.
Throughout the ages between 20 and 60 years, the male
gender is expected to have a higher reaction time than the
female gender
Abstract
• The brain’s aging process begins after a person ages beyond
20 years. The aim of this investigation was to identifying
whether, the aging of a person between 20 and 60 years
actually impacts their reflexes or reaction time. To hypothesis
were developed for this purpose. Participants of the study was
included 60 male and 60 females whose ages were in the
range from 20 and 60.Hypothesis has been proven correct and
Hypothesis 2 has been proven wrong in this experiment.
Introduction
• Research indicates that as a person ages beyond 20 years, the
brain’s aging process begins. Aging of the brain means that it
the number of neurons decreases as the years increase (Wyss-
Coray, 2016). Neurons are cells that constitute the nervous
system and the brain. With the shrinkage of neurons in the
brain, a person might take longer to respond to various
stimulus. The longer duration impacts the reflexes and
perceptual motor skills. As such, the research was directed at
identifying whether, the aging of a person between 20 and 60
years actually impacts their reflexes or reaction time (Lodato et
al., 2018). Most importantly, the study aimed to conceptualizing
whether there are differences in these reflexes between the
genders. A study conducted on teenage boys and girls found
out that boys generally had a faster reflex than girls (Podrigalo
et al., 2017). It is not clear whether that differences is replicated
in later years, especially between 20 and 60 years.
Participants
• Participants of the study included 60 male and 60 females
whose ages range from 20 and 60. The ages of the participants
was assumed to be normally distributed. The participants were
physically fit and in good health so that the difference between
their reaction time is assumed to be due to their age and
gender only.
Methods
Results
The data for the reaction time, age, and gender of each participant
has been recorded. To evaluate the relationship between age and
reaction time (hypothesis 1) 60 male and 60 female participants
were chosen against their reaction time simple reaction time test.
To evaluate the second hypothesis simple reaction time of 60 male
and 60 female participants between the ages 20 to 60 were
examined.
• Table 1: 95 percent confidence intervals, P value and equation
from linear regression
• Table 2: Unpaired t-test data for male and female group between
the ages 20 to 60.
Discussion
• From Table 1, it can be seen that the p value is less than
0.0001 which is much lower than the alpha value 0.05 and
therefore the relationship between the groups has significant
statistical difference. From the equation obtained, it can be
seen that the co- efficient of X is lower than X. Therefore, the
relationship between Y and X in inversely proportional. Hence,
the hypothesis 1 is correct and there reaction time does
reduces while age increases and vice versa. From the Table 2,
it can be seen that the p – value is 0.44 which is much higher
than the alpha value 0.05. This signifies that the there is no
significant difference between the groups. In the Table 2,
reaction time of male and female between the ages of 20 to 60
were evaluated. Therefore, it can be said that the hypothesis 2
is not correct and male gender does not have higher reaction
rate compared to female gender.
• To conclude, it can be said that the Hypothesis 1(It is
expected that the reaction time reduces as the age
increases) has been proven correct and Hypothesis 2
(Throughout the ages between 20 and 60 years, the male
gender is expected to have a higher reaction time than the
female gender) has been proven wrong in this experiment.
References
• Lodato, M. A., Rodin, R. E., Bohrson, C. L., Coulter, M. E.,
Barton, A. R., Kwon, M., ... & Yang, P. (2018). Aging and
neurodegeneration are associated with increased mutations in
single human neurons. Science, 359(6375), 555-559.
• Podrigalo, L., Iermakov, S., Potop, V., Romanenko, V.,
Boychenko, N., Rovnaya, O., &Tropin, Y. (2017). Special
aspects of psycho-physiological reactions of different
skillfulness athletes, practicing martial arts. Journal of Physical
Education and Sport, 17(1), 519.
• Wyss-Coray, T. (2016). Ageing, neurodegeneration and brain
rejuvenation. Nature, 539(7628), 180.
• The materials utilized in this experiment were a stop watch, table,
chair, meter ruler, and a reaction time chart. The simple reaction
time experiment was chosen for the experiment. In case of the
simple reaction time experiment, the subject was required to sit on
a chair and extend their forearm on the table edges. A ruler was
dropped and the participants was required to catch the ruler using
their forefinger and thumb. The experimenter dropped the ruler on
top of the participants thumb and forefinger. The measurements of
the ruler just above the fingers was recorded. A reaction table was
used, and the reaction time in meters per second was read. This
step was repeated severally in case of each participants. Prior to
the experiment, the participants were required to stay at least 6
hours without food to ensure a uniform physiology.