Robert N. Singer

Personality Differences Between and Within Baseball and Tennis Players.

Abstract Baseball and tennis coaches at Ohio State University ranked their respective players (N = 69) in performance at the end of the 1965 season. The Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, a personality test, had been administered to all players before the season began. Using multiple discriminant analysis, no significant differences in personality profiles were observed between the tennis and baseball groups, or between the highest 20 and lowest 20 ranked baseball players. When making between- and within-athletic group comparisons with normative data on each of 15 personality traits, a few traits, such as Achievement, Intraception, and Dominance, emerged as significant.

Effects of weight reduction on selected anthropometric, physical, and performance measures of wrestlers.

Abstract Eighteen girth, skinfold, cardiovascular, cable tension strength, and response time measurements were obtained in order to assess the effects of weight reduction on a group of college wrestlers. In 10 of the 18 measurements mean differences were found to be significant at the .05 level from the statistical analysis provided by a repeated measures analysis of variance. It was generally concluded that for the ten subjects studied up to 7 percent of body weight may be lost without adversely affecting factors apparently related to wrestling performance —strength, cardiovascular endurance, and response time.

INTERRELATIONSHIP OF PHYSICAL, PERCEPTUAL-MOTOR, AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT VARIABLES IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

For third- and sixth-grade children height, weight, grip strength of the dominant and non-dominant hands, elbow flexion and elbow extension strength, hip flexion and hip extension strength, dynamic balance, ball-throwing accuracy, speed of hand-arm movement, eye-hand coordination, stimulus discrimination and hand speed, perceptual ability, academic achievement, and intelligence were measured. (a) Intercorrelations among variables were low and often not significant for sixth- and third-grade children, (b) correlations were of similar magnitude for the two age groups, and (c) perceptual-motor tasks did not correlate any higher with intelligence tests than did simple motor tasks or physical characteristics.

Speed and Accuracy of Movement as Related to Fencing Success

Abstract Sixty-six college women enrolled in fencing classes provided measures of reaction time, response time, and movement accuracy on a specially designed apparatus. The subjects then foil-fenced in round-robin tournaments. Criterion measures of fencing achievement derived from tournament matches correlated little better than zero with reaction time, response time, and movement accuracy.

A comparison of traditional versus programed methods of learning tennis.

Abstract Two college service classes, each containing 20 subjects, were taught beginning tennis skills. The traditionally taught Group (Group A), and the programed group (Group B), were first determined homogeneous in height, weight, the Hewitt Revised Dyer Backboard Tennis Test (HRDBTT), and the American College Test before the teaching methods were initiated. After 14 periods of instruction, the groups were compared on various measures. The results of the study indicated that: (1) the general skill level of the groups, as measured by the Hewitt Revised Dyer Backboard Tennis Test, and a single-elimination tournament, was not significantly different; (2) the traditionally taught group improved significantly in general skills while the programed group did not; and (3) the programed group received better subjective rating scores on form than did the traditionally taught group.

Transfer Effects and Ultimate Success in Archery due to Degree of Difficulty of the Initial Learning

Abstract Three archery service classes, containing 20, 18, and 20 subjects respectively, served as subjects for this study. Group A learned and practiced archery shooting at the 10-yd. line, Group C began at the 40-yd. line, and Group B originated at the 25-yd. line. When testing for transfer, no significant difference was observed in the transfer effects from practice on an easier task (Group A) as compared to the transfer effects of a more difficult task (Group C) in comparison to precise distance practice (Group B). The previous number and land of tasks practiced yielded no significant differences in tests at the 10-, 20-, 25-, 30-, and 40-yard lines. Finally, the Columbia junior round, which was used to measure ultimate archery proficiency, indicated that archery success was not affected by the initial learning technique.

Interlimb Skill Ability in Motor Skill Performance

Abstract Thirty-eight male college freshmen continuously threw a softball at a 4′x4′ target for 30 sec. and also kicked a soccer ball at a 4′x4′ target for the game length of time. The subjects were tested using their preferred and nonpreferred arms and legs. Five of the six correlations, including preferred arm and nonpreferred arm, preferred leg and nonpreferred leg, preferred arm and preferred leg, nonpreferred arm and nonpreferred leg, and preferred arm and nonpreferred leg, were positive, low, but significant. However, when analyzed for generality and specificity factors of performance, the highest generality (29 percent) was obtained when comparing leg performance. There is evidence of strong specificity in limb performance, and thus more support for a specificity theory of learning and performance.

Sequential Skill Learning and Retention Effects in Volleyball

Abstract Four required physical education volleyball classes were taught four distinct volleyball skills in varied sequential order. The skills learned were the serve, dig, set-up, and spike. Between- and within-group differences were observed on tests administered on three different occasions throughout the quarter. Immediate and later retention effects due to the order in which the skills were learned when measured yielded a few isolated significant differences, but no pattern was established. It was concluded that the order in which volleyball skills are taught had little bearing on their learning or retention.

Bowling and the Warm-Up Effect.

Abstract College male subjects (N = 132) who participated in the Intramural Bowling League served as subjects for this study. During 5 weeks of bowling, one night a week, frame by frame and game by game score analysis was made. In game one, frames 5 and 10 yielded significantly greater scores than frame 1. As to the 3-game scores, the third game totals were significantly higher than the first game totals.