On Saturday, June 21, 2008, at 09:26 AM, George Malley wrote:
It all depends on what you call "significant" doesn't it?
From another Univ Alberta Study on the same topic:
If you report the reaction times in milliseconds (133, 143, and 150) my
gosh, those numbers look big. If you report the results by actual
reaction
time differences 0.01s (133-143ms) 0.007s (133-150ms) and 0.017s
(133-150ms)
it looks like there's no there there.
Admittedly, I'm out of my expertise range with this, but if Malmo has
the differences calculated correctly, the three "gunshot" volume levels
could each average an effect close to .01 seconds. Whether that might
result in changes in order of finish might be examined by looking at
the finishing times of finalists in the 2004 Olympics 100m. In the 100m
finals, no two runners finished with the same time (to .01 second),
with the top three registering 9.85, 9.86, 9.87. It seems a difference
of .01sec, .007sec, .017sec might have changed any of these times.
On the other hand, in a semi-final heat, Obikwelu (POR) and Green (USA)
both recorded times of 9.97, but Obikwelu finished second, while Green
finished third; so clearly differences of less than .01 second do
affect order of finish. In the finals, however, the two runners
finished in the same positions, but both ran nearly 1/10 second (not
1/00 second) faster than in the heats, so any effect of starting-pistol
volume pales by comparison with other factors.
Okay, I'm out of this. But I'll enjoy reading other subscribers'
interpretations of the importance of the study findings.
