Sports Psychology - Influence of Reduced Visual Information on Static and Dynamic Balance - Lab Report Example

Sports psychology "The influence of reduced visual information on static and dynamic balance Influence of reduced visual information on dynamic balance. Abstract Objectives Postural balances are a function of many factors, among them proper vision. This paper intends to study the influence that vision has on postural sways. It will also examine the correlation between the sways and dynamic balances. Methods Six adults drawn from either gender were exposed to different visionary conditions and their rate of swaying analyzed for a period of four weeks. Their response to various light intensity were noted and analyzed. Results A significant relationship between visionary information and the rate of swaying was analyzed and the data upon analysis proved that there is a relationship between visionary information and balance state. The interconnectivity between the sways and balance was found out to exhibit an inverse relationship. Conclusion Despite the existence of other factors that affect stability, visual impediments are also highly likely to influence the stability of an individual. The more clear visibility to which one is exposed, the higher the chances of minimizing sways. If the sways are minimized lead to proper and reliable dynamic balance. Introduction Biomechanics define balance as the state of being able to maintain the line of gravity from the centre of mass with minimal postural sway. It is this postural stability that operates to allow the performance of other activities (MAGEE et al., 2007).The postural sways have been presumed as the major indicator of balance. It is believed that the number of sways in a movement exhibit an inverse relationship with stability (Bandy & Sanders, 2008, Kisner & Colby, 2012). We conducted a study to gauge the ability of persons with visual impediments in maintaining the necessary balance. Those with low visual information are anticipated to mimic movements exhibited by their counterparts who are exposed to full vision (Lord, 2011). This study established the correlation that exists between vision and the various postures both static like the sitting position and dynamic postures like stepping, turning, bending, standing up from a chair and walking. We employed posturography tests to assess the balance control. We endeavored to establish the dependence of a group of adult male and female on vision for their postural stability (Finlayson, 2013). The hypothesis we examined was the fact that balance control is dependent on the visual information. Swaying of hands was our dependant variable while visual conditions were the independent variable (Clasen & Siegel, 2007). We collected data for the same sample of the population while subjecting them to the different visual conditions once a week for a period of four weeks. Data captured with in such a length of time promoted the elimination of biases that could have emanated from the physiological conditions of the sample if they were experimented with on consecutive days. (Axin, 2006; Pawar, 2004) Method Participants and design Five adults of sound mind and normal stature were selected for the purposes of this study. The numbers selected by gender were balanced to curb existence of any biases in the selection. The selected group was in the same age group with a range of ten years. The variation in their heights was in the range of 0.5 meter (M). The information about those who were selected for this case study was summarized in the table below. Table 1: Participants’ characteristics Person Height (meters) Age (Years) Gender Body mass (kg) Stature A 1.3 24 Female 60 Normal B 1.5 25 Male 65 Normal C 1.7 29 Male 70 Normal D 1.8 34 Female 72 Normal E 1.6 35 Male 75 Normal F 1.4 30 Female 70 Normal The design which we adopted as the mode of data collection was an amalgamation of interviews and the experiment method. This was selected based on the suitability arising out of the small sample size (Greenberg et al., 1990; Agarwal, 2012). Immediate feedback was also required which was only achievable through methods that would propagate direct contact between the researcher and the interviewees (Maddala, 1999). It was an enquiry which required controlled study to get to the cause and effect relationship which could be conveniently arrived at through direct contact. Our study did not involve the use of very sophisticated equipments. This was because our study was based majorly on a simple experiment methodology. The facilities which we made use of were light intensity variation gadgets to provide us with the environment for dim lights. We also made use of simple vision glasses to aid in reduction of sight. The data collected was analyzed using the data analysis techniques. The analysis was done over a period of time. A crossover trial to measure raw and percentage effect statistics was also used to determine absolute and relative differences between the participants over the period of the experiment (LEE & WANG, 2003; BERTHOLD & HAND, 2007). Analysis was done on daily basis when such data had been collected. Results The results that were obtained over the four week period were recorded in the tables below for each participant. Each participant had four trials per condition per week. This meant that for one week a participant was supposed to undertake twenty tests. This accumulated to eighty trials per participant throughout the experiment period. The results as depicted by the data revealed that there was more stability when the participants were tested with their eyes open. Participant A recorded a total of fifty sways out of eighty. B recorded twenty five sways. C recorded thirty seven entries. D managed thirty seven sways. E had a total of thirty seven sways. F was able to attain twenty eight sways. It would be wrong to conclude that person A with the highest number of sways was the most imbalanced in dynamism. Scrutiny of these data was conducted and inferences with premise arrived at. Table 2: Results for participant A Visual condition Week 1 Week 2 Week3 Week4 Eyes open 0 0 1 1 Eyes closed 4 2 3 2 Dim light 1 0 2 1 Dark glasses 1 3 4 4 Visual motion 2 4 3 2 To avoid redundancy the results for participants B, C, D, E and F were transferred to the appendix section. Discussion The results revealed that there was minimal swaying of hands across all the population that was studied when the participants were given clear vision (Eyes open). This traversed throughout the six participants regardless of their individual characteristics. However on exposure to conditions of non clear vision like closed eyes, dim lights and also on the use of dark glasses the rate of swaying on motion was on the rise. This indicated that the participants were unstable and therefore imbalance was imminent. The instability here was as a result of poor vision which prohibited smooth motion. Visual motion as used in this study meant that a participant was supposed to be in motion while moving the head in directions which are different from the intended direction of motion (Shapiro, 2001; HYÖNÄ et al., 2003). The results from visual motion across all the participants throughout the experiment period revealed a more than 50 % correlation with swaying of hands which implied imbalance. One previous study conducted by Bonfirm,et al revealed that body sway was dominant for situations when eyes were closed (Bjonara, 2008; Maldonado, 2010) The findings of this study have direct significance to the sample and general population in confirming the results of previous studies that revealed that visual impairments or inability to operate in a well lit environment lead to higher chances of body sway and hence dynamic imbalance. From the literature reviewed at the introduction and our finding we concur that imbalance is a function of visual clarity. A person exposed to poor vision cannot maintain a dynamic balance. Despite the fact that the research was conducted and the hypothesis confirmed. It assumed that the participants were in stable health condition to be engaged in a survey. The study assumed that stability is a function of visionary ability wholesomely. The study did not take into consideration sematosensory and vestibular information which also play very pivotal role in issues of balance. Conclusion The hypothesis for this study was to examine is the fact that balance control is dependent on the visual information. We confirmed this hypothesis to be true. If people have clear vision then chances of swaying are diminished. When this happens then chances of dynamic balance are enhanced. Appendix The data that was captured for other participants are presented in this section. Table 3: Results for participant B Visual condition Week 1 Week 2 Week3 Week4 Eyes open 0 1 1 0 Eyes closed 1 2 3 4 Dim light 1 2 2 0 Dark glasses 2 2 3 3 Visual motion 2 2 3 2 Table 4: Results for participant C Visual condition Week 1 Week 2 Week3 Week4 Eyes open 0 0 0 0 Eyes closed 4 3 2 2 Dim light 2 3 2 3 Dark glasses 0 3 2 2 Visual motion 2 2 3 2 Table 5: Results for participant D Visual condition Week 1 Week 2 Week3 Week4 Eyes open 1 0 0 0 Eyes closed 2 2 3 2 Dim light 2 3 3 2 Dark glasses 1 2 2 2 Visual motion 2 2 3 2 Table 6: Results for participant E Visual condition Week 1 Week 2 Week3 Week4 Eyes open 0 0 1 1 Eyes closed 2 3 2 1 Dim light 1 2 2 3 Dark glasses 2 2 3 4 Visual motion 2 2 2 2 Table 7: Results for participant F Visual condition Week 1 Week 2 Week3 Week4 Eyes open 0 0 0 0 Eyes closed 2 2 2 2 Dim light 1 1 2 1 Dark glasses 2 2 2 1 Visual motion 2 2 2 2 References AGARWAL, S. (2012). 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