Differences and Correlations between Instruction Patterns in Consecutive, Selective Reaction-Time Tests Administered to Early Childhood Participants

Agility is associated with infants’ developing the ability to efficiently shift their center of gravity. Therefore, it is essential to formulate tests that can reliably evaluate young children’s agility development. And continuous jump over tests, simple reaction-time tests and side-step tests are typically used to evaluate children’s agility during early childhood. They can examine agility through the number of movements completed or through simple movement speed. However, during early childhood, daily living involves recognizing danger, moving quickly to avoid it, and repeatedly and accurately altering one’s direction of movement during play. Hence, consecutive and selective reaction-time observations, and not only speed assessments, are essential to evaluate young children’s agility.

In this research, the authors considered the effect of differences between instruction patterns in consecutive, selective reaction-time tests administered to early childhood participants. Participants included 62 young male children (mean age 5.3 ± 0.6 years old, mean height 107.4 ± 5.5 cm, mean mass 17.9 ± 2.2 kg). Starting from a standing position, each participant rapidly moved eight times on a sheet—either left, right, forward, backward, or diagonal—in accordance with the given target. Five different combinations were used; each combination required participants to move in each of the eight possible directions once, including the four diagonal directions.

The results showed that on each pattern, the total times for all participants were added to yield a consecutive, selective reaction time for that pattern. Single-factor dispersion analysis results did not indicate a statistically significant difference in reaction times between the test patterns (the level of significance was determined as 0.05). Furthermore, a greater-than-medium correlation between the five patterns with regard to their total consecutive, selective reaction-times was observed.

Consequently, while no large difference was demonstrated between patterns, a relatively high correlation was observed between patterns on consecutive, selective reaction-time tests administered to young children. It is hypothesized that for evaluating the agility of early childhood, a successive choice reaction test with any pattern is valid.

Article by Hiroshi Yamanaka, et al, from Japan.

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