A sports psychologist is interested in how different strength training exercises might be more mentally taxing than others, and whether this effect is dependent on the age of the athlete. In an attempt to test this possibility, he asks participants to complete 20 repetitions of Squats, Deadlifts, Presses, and Power Cleans. After each exercise, participants rate their self-perceived exertion on a scale of 0 (very easy) to 10 (very difficult). For each exercise, participants use a weight that is 70% of their one-repetition maximum. Participants are matched on sex and baseline physical activity. Half of the participants are above the age of 65, whereas the other half is below the age of 25. Each participant completes all four exercises, and the order of each exercise is fixed for every participant: Squats are always completed first, then presses, then deadlifts, and then power cleans. Participants are allowed to rest between exercises for up to a maximum of 5 minutes. Self-perceived exertion is compared among the exercises. For both age groups, squats generate the lowest scores, whereas power cleans generate the greatest scores. The sports psychologist concludes that power cleans are the most mentally taxing strength training exercise. What are two confounds with the experiment? Is the sports psychologist justified in his conclusion? Why or why not?
A sports psychologist is interested in how different strength training exercises might be more mentally taxing than others, and whether this effect is dependent on the age of the athlete. In an attempt to test this possibility, he asks participants to complete 20 repetitions of Squats, Deadlifts, Presses, and Power Cleans. After each exercise, participants rate their self-perceived exertion on a scale of 0 (very easy) to 10 (very difficult). For each exercise, participants use a weight that is 70% of their one-repetition maximum. Participants are matched on sex and baseline physical activity. Half of the participants are above the age of 65, whereas the other half is below the age of 25. Each participant completes all four exercises, and the order of each exercise is fixed for every participant: Squats are always completed first, then presses, then deadlifts, and then power cleans. Participants are allowed to rest between exercises for up to a maximum of 5 minutes. Self-perceived exertion is compared among the exercises. For both age groups, squats generate the lowest scores, whereas power cleans generate the greatest scores. The sports psychologist concludes that power cleans are the most mentally taxing strength training exercise.
What are two confounds with the experiment?
Is the sports psychologist justified in his conclusion? Why or why not?
Step by step
Solved in 2 steps
