Comparative analysis of sensorimotor reactions of female boxers and non-boxing female university students

Druzhinin Oleg Aleksandrovich ORCID: 0000-0003-3365-4302 Postgraduate student of the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen 191186, Russia, Leningrad region, Saint Petersburg, nab. Moika River, 48 oleg.a.druzhinin@gmail.com Other publications by this author     Efimova Viktoriya Leonidovna ORCID: 0000-0001-7029-9317 Doctor of Psychology Professor, Department of Developmental Pedagogy and Family Psychology, Russian State Pedagogical University. A.I. Herzen 191186, Russia, Leningrad region, Saint Petersburg, nab. Moika River, 48 prefish@ya.ru Yakubova Guzal Asatulaevna ORCID: 0009-0009-9556-7168 Doctor of Psychology Professor at the Department of Psychology, Tashkent State Pedagogical University named after Nizami Bunyodkor str., 27, Tashkent region, Uzbekistan, 100161 maryam_17@bk.ru

Rasulov Elshod Yunusovich ORCID: 0009-0006-5937-931X Teacher of the of high-altitude and physical training, Specialized training center of the National Guard of Uzbekistan 40 Khalka Yuli str., Tashkent region, Uzbekistan, 100099 boxing-uzb@mail.ru

Introduction.

It is known that the results of sensorimotor tests evaluating reaction time can predict the success of athletes in various sports. Reaction time is especially important for contact sports: during combat, athletes need to respond quickly to a variety of stimuli in conditions of time deficit ^[18].

At the same time, there are a number of studies of sensorimotor reactions that are not related to sports. These studies show the relationship between the results of sensorimotor tests and the level of intelligence ^[16,20].

In her monograph, N. I. Chuprikova explains this connection by saying that intelligence is the ability to quickly extract selective invariants from the flow of information. It is this ability that is evaluated by complex sensorimotor tests ^[11].

The possibility of using sensorimotor tests to assess intelligence was also pointed out by G.Y. Aizenk ^[1].

Thus, not only the level of athletic training, but also the cognitive potential of a person can be determined using sensorimotor tests. That is why this study compared the results of sensorimotor tests of female athletes and university students.

Modern science recognizes the mutual influence of physical and cognitive development of a person, and sensorimotor tests are a kind of bridge that allows us to establish a link between the level of development of motor and cognitive abilities of an athlete. Instrumental assessment of reaction time in sensorimotor tests provides an opportunity for quantitative analysis of the impact of various types of sports training on the development of not only motor and coordination qualities of a person, but also cognitive abilities ^[12].

Currently, boxing is actively developing in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The large-scale state program was initiated by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, dated 04/29/2021, No. PP-5099 "On measures for the further development of boxing".

However, the problem of the influence of this sport on the development of sensorimotor reactions of female boxers has not been sufficiently developed.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of the results of instrumental sensorimotor tests of female boxers and university students who are not engaged in boxing.

The methodology.

The study was conducted in the Republic of Uzbekistan, the city of Angren, Tashkent region, on the basis of the Boxing Federation of the Republic of Uzbekistan and in the laboratory of psychophysiology of the Tashkent State Pedagogical University named after Nizami.

66 girls participated in the study. Group 1 consisted of 20 female athletes engaged in boxing. All athletes are high-level boxers, among them champions and prize-winners of Asia, major international tournaments and competitions. The athletes are members of the Uzbekistan women's national boxing team.

Group 2 consisted of 46 female university students who do not practice boxing. The average age of female students is 20 years old, the average age of female athletes is 21 years old.

Testing was carried out on the device UPFT-1/30-"PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGIST" (scientific, production and design company "Medikom", Russia). The device is a high-precision hardware and software complex. The main working organs and mechanisms of the device are analog: buttons, LEDs and a stepper motor. This avoids the delays and errors inherent in computerized tests.

During the study, the subjects underwent 6 tests. The examination of each participant in the study took about 14 minutes.

1.                  Simple hand-eye reaction (PMR): press the button as quickly as possible when a green light signal appears on the instrument panel. 

2.                  Simple auditory motor response (PSMR): press the device button as quickly as possible in response to an audible stimulus.

3. Complex visual-motor reaction (SPMR): press the button as quickly as possible when the green color appears with the right hand, when the red color appears with the left hand.

4. Reaction to a moving object (RDO): stop the rotating arrow by pressing the button as close as possible to the illuminated LED, randomly appearing on the circular scale.

5. Dynamic sensorimotor test (DST) – press the button on the red LED with your right hand, on the green with your left hand, ignore the yellow one. The frequency of presenting color stimuli that need to be responded to by pressing a button increases with an increase in the number of correct reactions and decreases with erroneous reactions.

6. Tapping test (TT): tap the tapping pad with the probe at maximum frequency (alternately: right and left hand)

Indicators reflecting various aspects of the success of the tests were automatically saved in the instrument's file and then uploaded to the SPSS-21 table for subsequent statistical analysis.

Statistical analysis was carried out using the python programming language, pandas, numpy, and scipy libraries were used.

Results.

The comparison of the two groups according to a quantitative indicator having a normal distribution, provided that the variances are equal, was performed using the Student's t-test. The comparison of the two groups by a quantitative indicator, the distribution of which differed from the normal one, was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test.

For the first group of main indicators, the following hypotheses were tested: the null hypothesis - the average values of the samples are equal; the alternative hypothesis - the average values of the first sample are less than the average values of the second sample (that is, in the group of female boxers, the indicators are less than in the group of girls who do not box). Statistically significant results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Statistically significant difference in the performance of simple sensorimotor tests by female boxers and non-boxing girls

Since p-value <0.05, we can conclude that the average values of Group 1 are less than the average value of Group 2.

            The data obtained show that the reaction time in simple and complex auditory-motor and visual-motor tests is significantly lower in female boxers compared to girls who do not box. The difference between the groups in performing the tests is also shown in Figures 1.

Fig. 1. The difference in the performance of the tests "simple visual-motor reaction", complex visual-motor reaction" and "simple auditory-motor reaction". Vertically– the time is in ms. Horizontally– the names of the tests are: PZMR (simple visual-motor reaction); PSMR (simple auditory-motor reaction); SPMR (complex visual-motor reaction).

Hypotheses were tested for the second group of key indicators: the null hypothesis - the average values of the samples are equal; the alternative hypothesis - the average value of the first sample is greater than the average value of the second sample. Statistically significant results are presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Statistically significant difference in the performance of sensorimotor tests by female boxers and non-boxing girls.

Since p-value <0.05, we can conclude that the average value of the first sample is greater than the average value of the second sample. (i.e., in the group of female boxers, the indicators are statistically significantly higher than in the group of girls who do not box).

            The difference between the groups in performing complex sensorimotor tests is shown in Figures 2-3.

Figure 2. Tapping test – the sum of left and right hand strokes, dynamic sensorimotor test (DST) – the total number of stimuli presented. Vertically – the number of stimuli/strokes (pcs)

Fig. 3. Results of the RDO test (reaction to a moving object) – the number of normal (target) reactions. Vertically – the number of normal reactions (pcs)

            Thus, we were able to prove that female boxers are superior to non-boxing girls in the following indicators of sensorimotor tests:

1. Shorter reaction time to auditory and visual stimuli, both in simple and complex sensorimotor tests.

2. More targeted reactions to a moving object

3. A greater number of targeted reactions in a time-limited dynamic test

4.      The endurance of the nervous system during the tapping test is higher

Discussion of the results.

            In our study, female boxers showed better results in most sensorimotor tests compared to female students.  This data is new.

            The results we have obtained show that certain qualities are in demand for boxing, the degree of development of which is reflected in these psychomotor tests:

RDO - spatial thinking, forecasting the trajectories of objects, calculating the time and place of meeting of moving and static objects, the ability to work in the mode of uncertainty of the direction of movement of an object

PSMR is the speed of reaction to hearing, the fastest psychomotor reaction in humans is a reaction that does not require thought

Tapping test - endurance of the nervous tissue of muscles to the maximum frequency of multidirectional contractions

DST is the ability to quickly switch in conditions of interference, work in short time, at an increasing rate of receipt of visual signals, work with a series of stimuli, the speed of acceptance of an imposed rhythm

The speed of reaction to a simple visual stimulus is a reaction that does not require thought

            A comparative analysis of the sensorimotor reactions of athletes and students who do not engage in sports has previously been presented in the scientific literature. But the results of this study are not related to boxing, in addition, only simple sensorimotor reactions were evaluated ^[21].

Comparative studies of reaction time in athletes involved in various sports were also conducted: boxing, gymnastics, taekwondo, judo, karate and wrestling. The study involved 332 people. Male boxers showed the best time in simple sensorimotor reactions compared to other athletes. Indeed, during a fight in conditions of time shortage, the boxer's rapid response to visual and auditory stimuli ensures the effectiveness of performing movements ^[13,15].

However, there are significantly fewer works devoted to the study of sensorimotor reactions of female boxers than there are studies of male boxers.

Christie Martin's fight with Deirdre Gogarty in 1996 is considered the birthday of modern women's boxing, but women's boxing became an Olympic sport only in 2012 ^[8].

This is probably why the interest of psychophysiologists in this sport has manifested itself only in recent decades.

            Research conducted by psychologists shows that women's boxing classes improve the psychological state of athletes, help to cope with stress, have a beneficial effect on the figure and the overall level of physical fitness ^[2,5,7,9]. 

Such studies are most often conducted by questioning female athletes. There are significantly fewer psychophysiological studies conducted using instrumental diagnostic techniques, although such works have been appearing in recent years.

The study of reaction time was conducted, for example, in order to assess the impact of long-term tournaments on the cognitive functions of female boxers.  Female boxers demonstrated either an improvement or no significant changes in sensorimotor test scores after participating in an Olympic-style boxing tournament compared to the results before the tournament ^[17].

The expediency of using sensorimotor tests to assess the effectiveness of the development of motor and coordination qualities of female boxers during training has been proven ^[3].

            With all the positive qualities of women's boxing, one cannot ignore the fact that this sport is quite traumatic ^[10].

Injury prevention in women's boxing is ensured by the correct selection of equipment, a high level of physical fitness of athletes, as well as the high speed of their reactions to auditory and visual stimuli.

Scientific research shows that the introduction of psychophysiological tests evaluating reaction time into the practice of medical examinations of boxers, regular documentation of the results of these tests, can be an important step to improve the safety of boxing ^[22].

It is known that the results of some complex sensorimotor tests reflect not only the quality of motor reactions, but also the overall level of human cognitive abilities. Tests evaluating the time of complex reactions are cognitive, since their results are statistically related to the level of formation of the "executive function" - "executive functions".  Executive functions include three parameters: inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Previously, in a sample of more than 600 subjects, we were able to prove that the results of evaluating complex sensorimotor reactions can predict academic success at all levels of schooling ^[4,6].

The greatest differences in the results of sensorimotor tests between athletes and students in our study were revealed in simple sensorimotor tests (simple auditory motor reaction and simple visual motor reaction). However, in complex sensorimotor tests, female boxers also showed significantly higher results compared to non-boxing girls.

Thus, in our study, female boxers revealed a fairly high cognitive potential, which can be regarded as the result of training related to the specifics of boxing.

It is no coincidence that amateur boxing is recommended to maintain cognitive functions in patients with neurodegenerative disorders ^[14,19].

Conclusions.

1. To achieve success in boxing, women need a high level of development of sensorimotor reactions.

2.      A high level of development of simple and complex sensorimotor reactions can serve as a key to success not only in sports, but also in everyday life.

3.      Increasing the level of development of complex sensorimotor reactions also helps to improve cognitive functions necessary for study and work.

4. Boxing is useful not only for physical, but also for mental development of a person.

5.      The results of the study are of social importance, as they contribute to the popularization of women's boxing, other speed sports, and a generally healthy lifestyle.