Effects of selected colors on reaction time and racquetball wall volley performance.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if any of four selected colors produced a faster reaction time and if any of the four selected colored racquetballs produced a better performance on a wall volley test. The colors used in this study were blue, green, fluorescent orange, and fluorescent yellow. Twenty-three members of two beginning racquetball classes at Middle Tennessee State University during the spring of 1984 were used as subjects. All subjects were tested and found to be free of color blindness. A reaction time test using four different colored light bulbs hung at eye level with a solid white foreground was given to all subjects using an automatic performance analyzer. After selected colors were applied to racquetballs, wall volley tests were given, two tests per subject per color. Statistical procedures used were analysis of variance, correlated t test, and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. The primary findings of this study included: a significant difference in reaction time scores when comparing blue with orange, blue with yellow, and green with yellow; a significant difference in wall volley scores when comparing blue with green, and blue with orange; there was no significant relationship between reaction time scores and wall volley scores in this study. As a result of this study, the author suggests that green and fluorescent orange racquetballs would be superior to blue during racquetball play for students enrolled in a beginning racquetball class. Furthermore, fluorescent yellow, while not significantly better than blue, could prove beneficial to play.