A Comparison of Reaction Times between the Hearing-Impaired and Healthy Football Players

Abstract

Ths study aimed at comparing the reaction times of hearing-impaired football players and healthy football players who do not have any hearing impavment in the same age group. 15 hearing-impaired football players with an average age of 18.13+2.26 years and 18 healthy football players without any hearing impavment with an average age of 18.16+1.54 years participated in the study on voluntaq basis. The subjects were measured for their body height, body weight and reaction times. The Nelson Reaction Time Test was used in order to measure the reaction times. Reaction times of the subjects were measured in an environment which is fairly convenient for measurement and student t-test for independent samples was used to ascertain the difference between hearing-impaired football players and healthy football players without any hearing impavment. The P<0.05 value was comidered to be significant. It was obsenred as a conclusion of the study that, although the reaction time difference between hearing-impaired football players and healthy football players who do not have any hearing impairment was numerically in favor of the healthy players, only the foot reaction time dfference was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). As a conclusion, it is comidered that the relatively negative reaction times of the hearing-impaired football players stem from individual physiological differences. © IDOSI Publications, 2012.