Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Publication Date

8-18-1969

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of learning set, physical work, and physical fitness on auditory retention. The learning set factor was controlled by randomly assigning three different set introductions to the experimental subjects. The introductions were designed to induce a positive, neutral, and diversionary set to listen. The physical work factor consisted of bench stepping in varying lengths of time and was randomly assigned. The factor contained four levels of work made up of (1) control (no bench stepping), (2) two minutes, (3) four minutes, and (4) six minutes of bench stepping. Physical fitness levels were established by administering a modified Harvard Step Test which placed the subjects into good, average, and poor physical fitness levels. It was hypothesized that the factors of learning set, physical work level, and physical fitness level would significantly affect scores on a measure of auditory retention. The procedures which were used in conducting this study involved listening to a recorded speech following the reading of the set introduction. The subjects listened to a portion of the speech material while completing the level of physical work assigned and the remainder during a period of rest. A test of twenty-five multiple choice items was given immediately following completion of the speech. A factorial analysis of covariance was used to statistically evaluate the effects of the three types of set introduction, the four levels of physical work, and the three levels of physical fitness. The analysis was chosen to further equate the population used in the study. The covariate consisted of the GPA achieved by the subjects in their first semester of college. The study utilized 270 male students enrolled in physical education activity classes at the University of New Mexico. The majority of the subjects were first and second year students although other classes were represented. The results indicated that the manipulation of the factors in the study produced no significant differences in performance on a measure of auditory retention. The implications gathered from this study are: (1) the use of written introductions to establish positive, neutral, and diversionary sets to listen have no significant effect on auditory retention, (2) that physical work does not significantly affect auditory retention as treated in this study, and (3) the level of physical fitness found in a population of college students has no significant influence on auditory retention.

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Physical Education, Sports and Exercise Science

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences

First Committee Member (Chair)

Lloyd Robert Burley

Second Committee Member

Alvin Wendell Howard

Third Committee Member

James Clark Moore

Fourth Committee Member

Jim Duff Hughey

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