Using the Computerized Tests in Assessing the Simple Reaction Time of Students in the University "Politehnica" of Bucharest

Abstract

The occupational profile in the technical field calls for the efficiency of the instructive-educational process by optimizing the psychomotor skills of the U.P.B. students. Through this study we aim to orientate the didactic process in the Physical Education and Sports lesson towards the specific of the engineering field. We consider it necessary to evaluate the students' simple reaction time, since this type of reaction is one of the dominant skills in this field. Consequently, we have to determine the students' current skills level, and depending on the results obtained, we will implement the operational motor structures specific to Physical Education and Sports to optimize the students' professional skills. The qualitative exploratory research aimed at identifying the reaction time to visual stimuli according to the dominant and non-dominant structure, by comparing the data obtained between genders. The number of subjects involved in the project was of 44 students (22 girls and 22 boys). The two experimental groups are randomized, made by random selection. Inquisit 5 computerized test (Computer Software) was used to evaluate the simple reaction time. Measuring the time of simple reaction to visual stimuli by computerized testing consisted of pressing the "spacebar" key at different time intervals, whenever a red circle appeared on the screen. Each subject repeated the test three times, keeping the best results. The significance test used to determine the plausibility of the hypothesis was the independent T-test (Student). The results obtained showed that there are no significant differences between the two groups with respect to the worst reaction time in the dominant and non-dominant hand (p=0.3336, t=0.9781; p=0.7646, t=0.3255). Significant differences between the girls and boys were noted for the fast reaction time in the dominant hand.