CORTICAL ASSESSMENT OF ANTICIPATORY REACTIONS IN TENNIS PLAYERS

BY

SAIFUL EBNE HASIB

A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, BANGLADESH AS A REQUIREMENT FOR POST GRADUATE

DIPLOMA IN SPORTS SCIENCE (SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF SPORTS (BKSP)ZIRANI, SAVAR, DHAKA

JUNE 2004

BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF SPORTS

DEPARTMENT OF SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY

Dated 25 th June 2004

I do hereby certify that Saiful Ebne Hasib, conducted the project

research study entitled CORTICAL ASSESSMENT OF ANTICIPATORY

REACTIONS IN TENNIS PLAYERS adopting the standard procedures and

norms set for the Post-Graduate Diploma Course in Sports Sciences, in

the Department of Sports Psychology, of the National University of

Bangladesh. The present study was a unique one and Mr. Hasib under

my supervision, made his level best independent endeavor in this

regard.

Dr. Srilekha SahaSport PsychologistBangladesh Institute of SportsDhaka-1349Bangladesh

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I avail my self of the opportunity to express my heartiest

gratitude to Dr. Srelekha Saha, sports Psychologist, B. K. S. P for his

valuable suggestion. Counseling & guidance, friendly advice, keen

interest & constant inspiration & encouragement during the course of

this investigation & preparation at this report & formulating all the

statistical treatment of my project.

I express my deep sense of gratitude to Grig. Gen. Mohammad

Ali Mondal, ndc, and Director General of BKSP for his kind permission to

submit the project to the national University, Bangladesh, Dhaka.

I express my holly gratitude to Faruqul Islam Director of training

BKSP for his ornamental counseling from time to time during the entire

period of the study.

I also express my deep sense of gratitude to Md. Rokon Uddin,

Tennis coach, for their whole hearted cooperation for collecting data.

I express my thanks to Dr. A. K. Uppal and all others sports

scientists, department of sports science, BKSP for their constant

support from time to time during the entire period of my study.

I also express my deep sense of gratitude to my parents for their

kind co-operation & help.

With all my sincere most feelings and regards.

Saiful Ebne HasibStudent, Post-Graduate Diploma CourseFaculty ofSports Science,Bangladesh Institute of Sports Dhaka-1349, Bangladesh.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF TABLES v

Chapter:

I INTRODUCTION

Introduction and Review

2

Objectives 7

II METHODOLOGY

Subjects 9

Materials 9

Measures

10

Rationality 10

III RESULTS

Results 19

IV DISCUSSION

Discussion 22

V CONCLUSIONS

Conclusions 30

Recommendations

31

iv

LIST OF TABLES

TablePage

1 N, df and critical values of the present study19

2 Mean of the obtained basal CFF scores19

3 Mean (M), standard deviation (SD) and rank difference correlation values (p) for the significant relationship between the variables of tennis players in 10 MPH condition.

20

4 Mean (M), standard deviation (SD) and rank difference correlation values (p) for the significant relationship between the variables of tennis players in 60 MPH condition.

20

v

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW

2

INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW

Behavioral approaches assume that all behavior is determined

by past reinforcements and present contingencies. In cognitive

approaches, in contrast, the individual is an active perceiver and

interpreter of information, and cognitive processes are key to

understanding motivation and behavior. In search of the inherent

network that exists within the individual performer, which helps him to

bring forth the earnestly needed peak performance several line of

thought was evolved to conceptualize the processes underlying in it.

There arose a larger numbers of approaches to identify and predict

possible relationship between peak performance and psychological

make up of the athletes. The vital importance is the fact that

successful sports performance is associated with many traits, some of

which are fundamental to the production of peak performance (Vealey

and Greenleef, 1998 and Saha et al, 2000). Arousal has been explained

of sudden information hitting our central nervous system and the

greater the cortical bombardment the higher is arousal and anxiety.

According to Eysenck (1955) and Rabbitt (1969), cortical arousal is the

indication of increased cortical inhibition to heightened arousal.

Whereas perceptual motor skills means repetition of stimulus,

repetition of response (motor programming and response execution)

and repetition of a rule relating members of a common signal set to

the same response.

3

The more immediately processed information requires getting

assimilated and accommodated with the cognitive schema and unless

it is matched with the previous one it can cause dissonance in

cognitive process. Hence it is clear that optimum cortical arousal

initiated by ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) is mostly

essential for cognitive possessing, while the extent of excitatory

activity in reticular activity system (RAS) would depend on personality

make-up of the individual. The RAS also has descending tract, which

influences motor functions. There is good reason to believe in that the

descending tract of the RAS may be in part responsible for the

improvement in the speed and coordination of reactions under higher

level of arousal (Saha, 2001b). Optimum excitatory ARAS would

facilitate in faster reactions, since it keeps up a sports performer ready

to react to any incoming stimulus. It may remain important for him,

since he may have already reached up to a state of over stimulation

wherein his ARAS can not accept the future excitement.

A player’s personality is as critical in determining success in the

sports arena as physical ability. True, a seven-stone weakling is

unlikely to become an effective central defender regardless of

personality but equally the well proportionate and skillful athlete will

not succeed without such attributes of personality as determination

and will to win. Effective utilization of time and a feeling of the passing

of time are quite important. Alternative performance in alert situations

often demand high arousal an accurate signal detection ability (Saha

et al, 2001), skill the too elite performers often desirable there

4

expectances during peak performance as involving a slowing down of

time. This contrasts with extremely rapid passage of time that common

people often feel and similarly the average level of athletes also

reported to have the similar expectances of rapid passage of time. This

usually happens when an individual performers poorly, and hence feels

rushed are panicked and by means gets more disturbed and feels like

checking.

The ability to anticipate an opponent’s actions based upon partial

or advance sources of information are essential in sport because of the

severe time constraints placed on the performer (Abexnethy, 1987). A

considerable research base confirms the experts superior ability to use

such information to reliable anticipate an opponent’s actions (Williams

et al, 1999). Skilled performers use their superior knowledge to control

the eye movement patterns necessary for seeking and picking up

important sources of information. They are appears more attuned to

relative motion cues and are also able to successfully perceive

information presented as point light displays (PLD) word, Williams and

Davids (1999) demonstrated that skilled tennis players are able to

successfully anticipate the direction of an opponents short when

presented as PLD. Also unlike their novice counterparts, experts exhibit

more consistent visual search strategies when viewing PLD compared

with a normal display. Research suggests that skilled performers are

able to make use of expectations or situational probabilities to

facilitate anticipation. Experts use their superior knowledge base to

dismiss many events as being highly improbable and can attach are

hierarchy of probabilities to the remaining events, thus facilitating

anticipation (Williams et

5

al, 1999).Hence, we have already gathered a lot of information with

regard to the anticipatory skills of expert players, but of remains

unclear whether these are stable characters, or are

subjects to be changed. That means, whether it is always

possible for an expert players to anticipate playing situations enough

accurately and promptly. Further to add questions remain with what

happens to those who are not up to that level of good players.

REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS LITERATURES

A player’s ability to use advance postural cues is particularly

important in fast ball sports where the speed of play and ball velocity

dictate that decisions must often be made in advance of the action.

High speed film analysis indicates that players who react to the ball as

opposed to anticipating its intended destination, are unlikely to be

successful (Glencross and Cibich, 1977). The temporal occlusion

paradigm has been used to examine anticipatory cue usage in sport. In

this approach, participants are presented with filmed sequences that

are representative of their customary view of the action.

Passing into open space and placing the ball accurately and

timely for a moving teammate are important skills in soccer (Williams,

1973; McMorris and Copeman, 1991). This ability of anticipation-

coincidence can be defined as the timing of an own response to

coincide with a response triggered by an outside source. Since testing

this skill under filled conditions is difficult to achieve a strict laboratory

situation was chosen at the beginning (Henry and Grose, 1968).

6

Morris and Burwitz (1989) found that soccer goalkeepers

anticipate ball flight while Salmela and Fiorito (1979) made similar

findings for ice hockey goaltenders. Recent studies have shown that

pre-contact cues are used in number of sports (Abernethy, 1987). Most

of these studies have examined expert novice differences in

anticipation. Studies of cognitive function in the sports of basketball

(Allard et al, 1980), hockey (Starkes and Deakin, 1984) and rugby

(Nakagawa, 1982) have shown that expert perform at a higher

cognitive standard that do less experienced participants in their

particular discipline. This is due mainly to superior methods of

information processing. It is not clear what effect the exercise intensity

and duration have on cognitive function during performance in game.

The cortical pattern is the end of sensation, and it presages the

beginning of perception. The form of the spatial pattern depends on

the intracortical synaptic connections, which have been shaped

through learning from past experience. The olfactory area can only

generate spatial patterns that result from connections that were

modified during experience with a limited number of adroitness. Each

mean field pattern is a construction of the cortex that is simultaneously

transmitted to both the motor area of the cortex and to the

hippocampus formation, along with the sensory driven activity pattern.

However, owing to the way in which the cortical pathways are

organized, it is the mean field construct that is effectively received by

target areas, while the sensory driven activity pattern that triggered

the cortical state transition is deleted (Freeman, 1992).

7

A neural mechanism exists that keeps perceived time sufficiently

close to the flow of events in real time that actions are effective even

in the course of exceedingly rapid external flows. Existence of that

mechanism was revealed by experiments conducted by

neurophysiologist. Libet (1994), when studied it in collaboration with

neurosurgeons to measure the time lapse between stimulus and

awareness. The perception of time and perception of causality have

the origin in their same intentional cycle that produces goal directed

actions that accompanied by preference, attention and learning from

the perceived consequences of acting. Therefore the perception of

time and causality are inextricably linked.

On such a background in this present study, it was decided to

incorporate evaluation of the level of cortical activation as a supportive

document of perceptual efficiency and cognitive competence, which

would facilitate in accuracy of anticipation required in the game of

tennis.

OBJECTIVES

1. To judge the level of anticipation in tennis players.

2. To study the level of CFF in tennis players.

3. To estimate the impact of CFF if any on the level of anticipation

in tennis players.

CHAPTER II

METHODOLOGY

9

METHODOLOGY

SUBJECTS

20 tennis players of Bangladesh Krira Sikhha Prathistan (BKSP) in

the age range of 13-16 yr.s, with a mean age of 14.82 yr.s and SD of

1.91 yr.s were volunteered. They were the students of class VII to XI.

All the players were categorized into two experimental groups and

each group consisted of 10 subjects (Gr. A and Gr. B). The subjects of

Gr. A comprised of high performer tennis players and Gr. B comprised

of low performer tennis players. They were recognized as high

performer and low performer according to their coaches. All the

players having three to six years training experience according to their

age.

MATERIALS

1. Flicker Fusion Apparatus (CFF) (12021) (Lafayette Instrument,

USA).

2. Bassin Anticipation Timer (BAT) (50575) (Lafayette Instrument,

USA).

10

MEASURES

The Flicker Fusion Apparatus was used to measure the cortical

arousal level of the subjects through visual ability and the Bassin

Anticipation Timer was used to assess the level of anticipation in the

subjects.

RATIONALITY

One of the finest aspects of human cognition that helps in sports

behavior is anticipation. It is the predicted value of subtle change in

stimuli based on certain assumptions with respect to changes in the

spatial characteristics of the physical existence of the stimuli. As for

example, in case of visual anticipation (what we do most of the time in

our game situations) an individual athlete needs to carry out extremely

narrow attentional focus to concentrate accurately onto the source of

the stimulus in concern and to predictably relate to the gradual

changes in spatial existence of the stimulus toward the ultimate goal of

reaction. In these the players requires to accurately identify with the

intensity and directional changed in the stimulus and again he or she

required to predict accurately the corresponding spatial changes in the

stimulus in that the players on almost predictably locate and/or follow

even the finest changes in the location of stimulus.

Hence, it becomes more important for the behavioral researchers

to identify with the patterns of cues related to the shuttle changes in

physical existence of the stimulus, so that those cues in turn would

help in predicting the probable changes in the stimulus in the newer

future, that might have been

11

caused by the opponent players on or by any natural opposing factors

such as, flow of air humidity ground condition, external temperature.

Thus one of the most important basic components of

anticipation, which could be objectively identified, is the possibility of

predictable behavioral changes. It is the earnest task offer player to

predict future direction and intensity of the movement, of an opponent

based on assumptions already prepared in the cognitive schema of

that player. That is the cognitive task of accommodation the newer

visual cues with respect to the older ones, so that it does not create

much of disequilibrium/ dissonance to delay the appraisal of the

spartial character of the stimulus and to optimize the predictability of

the future movement direction and intensity of the stimulus on the

basis of that cognitive schema.

Now the question comes whether these anticipatory cue

utilization in the field correspond to that in the laboratory condition?

From a Lagnaris point of view it is quite absurd to relate the both in

same platform. Not only that for majority of sports trainer’s players,

sports organize and event for a large number of sports science

students it seems an issue of critical concern. But for the experimental

sports psychologists or sports science researchers, this question

however inspires the quest for similarity competitive or field

Stuations with the appropriate changes brought in to the

laboratory conditions. Some time it is quite possibility setting of a

unique experimental paradigm in which the extraneous or erroneous

variables would be aptly

12

controlled by applying systematic rigorous methodology

(Chattopadhyay et al, 1994). This is of much importance for no

assessment of real time mental set up during competitive performance

is possible and at this on test it is the customary practice to carry out

simulated laboratory experiments to optimize conceptually what

happens in the minds of players during competitions.

13

PARADIGM OF EXPERIMENT

SET-A

Basal assessment of cortical activation was done using two-flash

threshold (Critical flicker threshold 100 Hz. /sec.) to obtain the status of

phasic level of CNS arousal before any stimulus induction, and thereby

ascertaining the changes in cortical level (inhibition or activation) in

consequence of alteration in perceptual level of the subjects (two trials

were given to obtain the basal arousal).

SET-B

PHASE –I (Assessment of Cortical activation was measured followed by assessment of Anticipation with lower level of stimulus speed) VARIABLES ANTICIPATION (BAT) CFFSPECIFIC

STIMULATIONMPH - 10 100 Hz./sec.

NO.OF TRIALS 8 4

SET-C

PHASE –II (Assessment of Cortical activation was measured followed by assessment of Anticipation with higher level of stimulus speed)

VARIABLES ANTICIPATION (BAT) CFFSPECIFIC

STIMULATIONMPH - 60 100 Hz./sec.

NO.OF TRIALS 8 4

This paradigm was followed to the all of the tennis players.

STANDARD METHOD OF ADMINISTRATION

14

Flicker Fusion Apparatus:

The processor unit of CFF apparatus was connected with 220

volts AC connector. The external initiator cord was attached with the

processor and the response switch was attached with the subjects unit,

i.e., viewing panel of the instrument. There after the power switch was

put on; and the luminance range; descending order; stimulus power,

and sweep (flicker rate) were set by the experimenter. Proper

instructions were given to the subjects.

Bassin Anticipation Apparatus:

Keep the instrument ready for use as per the instructions of the

manual. Warning signal time (ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 sec.s) and

Runway light –speed (1 MPH to 999 MPH) should be adjusted according

to the need. Digital clock ranges from 0.001 to 9.999 seconds. To the

stationary visual field (0-20 degree) the subject sits at the end of the

instrument. The responses of the subjects are contingent upon the

runway speed and the accuracy in anticipation is judged as the index

of high performance.

PROCEDURE

All the subjects were brought to the department of sport

psychology of BKSP for the data purpose of collection of data for the

experiment. In the beginning they were given proper instructions with

regard to the standard

15

method of administration and the purpose of the experiment. They

were also kept aware of their role in the experiment. At first they were

assessed with the phasic assessment of basal CNS arousal using two-

flash threshold (Critical flicker threshold). Thereafter data was taken

employing BAT for assessment of the level of anticipation using slower

stimulation (i.e., lower level of stimulus speed- MPH-10) following

standard method of administration. They were given eight trials and

data were collected and kept documented for the final analysis of data.

Thereafter once again CFF (flicker rate- 100 Hz. /sec.- , four trials were

given) was assessed to ascertain, whether anticipation task had

induced any alteration in cortical level. Thereafter in phase- II of

experiment they were assessed with BAT for assessment of the level of

anticipation using slower stimulation (i.e., higher level of stimulus

speed- MPH- 60) following standard method of administration. They

were given eight trials and data were collected and kept documented

for the final analysis of data. Similar to that of the Phase of I once

again CFF (flicker rate- 100 Hz. /sec.) was assessed to ascertain,

whether anticipation task had induced any alteration in cortical level,

(i.e., inhibition or activation). Here, four trials were given to all of the

subjects.

INSTRUCTIONS

Instruction for critical flicker fusion test:

“Please sit here comfortably and put your eyes within the hole of

the viewing panel of this instrument. Touch the thumb of your right

hand on to the switch of the instrument. We are going to assess your

ability to visualize

16

something. At first at the ‘start’ signal you will see two white flashing

lights. Gradually they will start to flicker and your task will be to let us

know right at the point, where you saw it to flicker first by pressing the

key at once. This will happen for few times. If you face any problem

during the course of experiment, please let me know immediately”.

Instruction for anticipation test:

“Please come here and stay calm. Here you can see an

instrument. It is called as Bassin Anticipation Timer. It measures some

very important psychological factors related to high performance in

sports. Your task is simple. You have to listen to my instructions very

carefully. Here you hold on this key. Look there you can see a yellow

light? I’ll give you a ready signal, and thereafter you’ll see the yellow

light glowing for a few seconds, and then some red lights will be

glowing intermittently following this path very rapidly. It will seem like

the red lights are running towards you. Now, your task is to press the

key just on dot, when you’ll see the last of the red lights glows at the

end and passes by. Your task actually is to do that as simultaneously

as possible so that, you can’t be late to respond or you don’t press

earlier than the arrival of the red light at that end-point. I hope you

could understand to what I said. Let’s try for some times to see

whether you could understand your task correctly. This will happen for

few times. If you face any problem during the course of experiment,

please let me know immediately”.

17

STATISTICAL TREATMENT

Descriptive statistics i.e. measure of central tendency – mean

(M), measures of variability – standard deviation (SD) and Spearman’s

rank difference coefficient correlation (p) were computed for analysis

of the data.

CHAPTER III

RESULTS

19

RESULTS

Descriptive statistical treatment (M and SD) was done to all the

obtained data. Then correlation coefficient (p) by the spearman’s rank-

difference correlation method was done to ascertain whether there

exists any relationship between two variables (CFF and BAT). From the

obtained results it is clear that there is a significant negative

correlation between CFF and BAT in .05 levels (Table-II) and .01 levels

(Table-II). It indicates that increment in CFF scores inhibited the

accuracy in anticipation obtained by the BAT scores.

Table-I

N, df and critical values of the present study

N df CRITICAL VALUE0.05 0.01

10 8 .632 .765

Table-II

Mean of the obtained basal CFF scores

Subjects Statistics Variables (CFF)HP Mean 38.43LP Mean 37.89

20

No mean difference was observed. Hence, prior to the

introduction of the perceptual task (anticipation) the subjects of two

experimental groups were on similar status cortical activation.

Table-III

Mean (M), standard deviation (SD) and rank difference

correlation values (p) for the significant relationship between

the variables of tennis players in 10 MPH condition.

Subjects Statistics VariablesCFF BAT

HP M 39.36 L-.04SD 3.33 .02p -.691 *

LP M 36.05 .04SD 4.01 L-.01p -.702 *

* P<0.05

Table-IV

Mean (M), standard deviation (SD) and rank difference

correlation values (p) for the significant relationship between

the variables of tennis players in 60 MPH condition.

Subjects Statistics VariablesCFF BAT

HP M 44.07 L-.13SD 4.29 .06p -.821**

LP M 33.95 L-.21SD 7.01 .11p -.793**

* P<0.05

CHAPTER IV

DISCUSSION

22

DISCUSSION

The obtained result has depicted an encouraging nature of

changes especially with regard to the changes in the level of cortical

activation. Subjects of the present experiment were selected following

purposive sampling method, and hence it was almost understood that,

majority of them wouldn’t have significant level of pre-existing

problems in cortical regulation either in the form of inhibition or

activation, that could influence their perceptual task of time

anticipation of visual stimulation.

Observed data with regard to the pre- stimulus introduction

assessment of the level of CNS arousal indicated that, there existed no

difference between the two groups of tennis players, with respect to

the basal level of CNS arousal. Thus, the result implied that, the

players of the two differential groups had no prior differences with

regard to the CNS arousal. This implied that, whatever be the future

introduction of the stimuli, which could alter the perceptual level and

hence, could bring forth some alteration in the level of CNS activation

in the players. The alterations, if any, observed in the level of cortical

activation, then would be considered due to the introduction of the

stimulation itself, which caused the perceptual discrimination and

resulted in the changes in the level of cortical activation. rom the

results showed in the Table-III, it is evident that the subjects of both

the groups performed almost similar to each other in scores obtained

in BAT and the data also appeared highly consistent, suggesting a

23

possibility that the perceptual discriminatory task in the form of

anticipation had similar impacts on the subjects, who are accustomed

to do similar type of activity (training and playing Tennis). More so,

perhaps the task was not carrying differential levels of difficulty level

to the players of the two different groups, who are basically selected

and categorized on the basis of their inherent differences in

performance in the game of Tennis.

Tennis being the game in which players are required to react to

the continuously changing direction and intensity of stimulation

coming from the visual field. As per the requirement of the game,

players need to face with continually changing perceptual tasks. This

happens, since the velocity and the direction of the balls coming from

the opponent player’s return are essentially unpredictable in nature,

and hence, the player requires focusing onto some specific cues, that

he/she can identify from the opponent player’s movements, playing

style etc. Players vary in this specific capacity in focusing onto the

relevant cues with respect to the opponent the player. Thereafter the

question of identification of the specific cues, leading toward the

prediction of the movement and subsequent placing of returns or

placing of services from the opponent, arises. Once this identification

is done, here comes the question of assessment of the velocity and

exact direction of the returns from the opponents, and the task itself

refers to assessment of the probable time the ball would lapse to

reach. This perceptual discriminatory task is termed anticipation of

time with regard to the specific visual stimulation. Hence, it is obvious

that the players who

24

are better able to judge this time lapse in match condition would have

more time to shift his or her position to react upon the ball as

accurately as possible by placing an appropriate return to the

opponent. This ability to anticipate in the field situation is simulated in

the laboratory situation depending on the accuracy of the experimental

setting. The assessment of anticipation time incorporating Bassin

Anticipation timer provides the experimenter with the information

concerning the index subjects, with regard to their ability to anticipate

the probable time lapse in occurrence of the stimulation in concern.

Hence, it is clear that the whole process of anticipation of time

requires a lot of sensory processing, requiring high level of integrated

activation of the ascending reticular tract. An over-burden in ascending

reticular system would lead to delay in processing and hence, would be

the delayed anticipation, and a delayed anticipation would end up in a

wholesome misinterpretation of the perceptual situation involved in

the game. Contrary to that, a faster sensory information processing

might lead to a better anticipation and availability of adequate time to

react upon the situation in the form of better and accurate returns in

the game of Tennis. Thus, it is obvious that the individuals having

better ability to anticipate time would have better cortical integration

leading toward faster and better information processing, and the

success in sports performance in consequence.

25

Results from the Table- III also suggest the justification of the

notion concerning relation between the two above-mentioned

processes. Like it happened with assessment of BAT, the two groups

had more or less similarity in the level of CNS basal arousal too, with

the score of the LPs, lower than that of their high performer

counterparts. The most interesting feature of the Table-III is the

observed correlation between the level of cortical activation and the

level of anticipation. The significant relationship between the two

variables, suggest that there exist relationship between the level of

CNS activation and perceptual discrimination. Moreover, the negative

relationship indicated that the shorter was the anticipatory time the

more was level of CNS activation. This actually implied that the

accuracy in anticipation was influenced by the heightened cortical

activation. Actually heightened cortical activation perhaps facilitated in

the faster sensory information processing in the ascending reticular

activation system, leading to accurate anticipation and that might

have helped the high performers in judgement of the reactions of the

opponent players. Not only that, the faster anticipation and faster

sensory information processing would lead to a better assumption

concerning the movement and the directions and intensity of the

returns of the opponent as accurately as possible. Most essentially

those are the special abilities of the superior quality of players.

Since, the anticipatory task in set-I was only involving perceptual

discrimination of visual stimulation coming with a slower, speed and

the players of both the groups were accustomed to respond to

reactions from opponents

26

having much faster pace, none of the subjects had faced any problem

with regard to anticipating the stimuli accurately. This being the

reason, it is observed that assessment of CFF followed by the

assessment of anticipation task, didn’t cause much significant

alteration in the level of CNS arousal, as compared to that of the basal

pre-existing level, assessed by employing CFF measures (Table-II).

Further to add, the relationship between scores obtained on CFF and

BAT being negative, it is proved that the subjects having higher level

of cortical integration could anticipate more accurately and thereby

took shortest delay in anticipating visual stimuli.

The relatively difficult or challenging perceptual situations would lead to some problems concerning adequate and faster sensory processing, and hence would lead to difficulty in anticipation of the occurrence of stimulation. Though this alteration in intensity of the stimulation is a regular feature in actual playing situation, a lot of the players can’t adopt to those changes readily, and that’s why they fall back and are considered as low level performers. But, this inability or lack of ability in processing stimulation could result in extreme level of

cortical crisis in the players in concern. The results of Set- C of the experiment (Table-IV), prove that the players of the low performer group had faced problems in anticipating, and that’s why they had much delayed and inconsistent anticipation, as compared to their high performer counterparts. Not only that, majority of the HPs were found to be able to anticipate the challenging task of anticipating the faster visual stimulation (60 MPH), as accurately as possible and as fast as well,

27

and that’s why the score obtained from them appeared so consistent.

Now, the question comes what different happened to these players, as

compared to the others (LPs), which might have helped them to

perform better during assessment of BAT, and/or this might be a

regular feature of these players. The scores obtained by those HPs in

CFF, prove that they had a high level of cortical integration compared

not only to the LPs, but also to their own basal Level of cortical

activation. Hence, it could be assumed that, there happened an

increment in the level of cortical activation, either leading toward

disintegration or integration in the CNS adaptation process. Since there

is a marked improvement in CFF scores as compared to the basal score

of CFF observed in the HPs, it could be postulated that, the cortical

activation reflected better CNS regulation in them. This finding got

further support, hence a high correlation between the scores obtained

on CFF and BAT (60-MPH), indicated that performance of BAT with

higher intensity of visual stimulation didn’t cause any problem in the

level of cortical activation. More so, the evidences of relationships

between these two processes also depicted that, at least in HPs

performance of BAT was influenced by the heightened level of CNS

regulation, which might be well defined as higher-order cortical

integration. Again, it might be postulated from the observed

relationship that, a better performance in anticipation of visual

stimulation didn’t put much pressure on the cortical arousal regulation

system, leading to any inhibition. Thus, it appeared clear that the

better accuracy in anticipation was aptly facilitated by improved

cortical competence, and vice versa.

28

The cortical competence in LPs also found to facilitate in

performance in BAT. A minute scrutiny of the data indicated that the

high performance in BAT (i.e., faster BAT) was related to higher CFF

scores. Thus, it might be postulated from the observed finding that the

higher-order cortical activation in the form of better cortical integration

probably helped in faster sensory processing of stimulation and

thereby might have resulted in faster anticipation of visual stimulation

in the players of both the groups, and, since the cortical regulation and

the level of sensory processing is better in the high performer players,

they could benefit most from that, as compared to their low-performer

counterparts.

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS

30

CONCLUSIONS

1. High performer tennis players are better able to anticipate

accurately, particularly during more difficult anticipatory

activities as compared to the low performers.

2. The level of critical flicker fusion ability of the high performer

tennis players are better than the low performer tennis players.

3. Critical flicker fusion ability has positive impact on anticipatory

performance in both high and low performer tennis players.

31

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