Problem statement: Research has suggested that examining attentional demands duringfunctional tasks is an emergent area of study. Increased arousal may represent an attentional demand,resulting in impaired motor functioning in tasks that require fast reaction and movement times.Approach: This study examined the effects of a non-specific stressor and the resultant physiologicalarousal on upper extremity functional measures of motor performance. Forty-four young adultparticipants (X age = 20.6) were randomly assigned to either a stress/arousal group or non-stresscontrol group. Arousal was altered through the use of the Stroop Color Word Task and mentalsubtraction tasks. Results: Paired-sample analyses revealed significant differences (p<.037) from preto post test for measures of reaction time in the stress group. No significant differences were seen formeasures of movement time (p<.095) in the stress group. Conclusion: These results suggest thatincreased levels of physiological arousal may alter reaction time, movement time and resultant motorfunctioning in healthy young adults. This increase in physiological arousal may be the result of nonspecificexternal stressors and have significant implications for movement production accuracy inmultiple populations, including older adults. Further research examining this effect in older adults isongoing.
