Abstract:

This study was carried out on total 29 volunteers as 15 folk dancers – 7 females (16.86 ± 0,69 years of age) and 8 males (18.63 ± 1.60 years of age) - and 14 sedanters – 7 females (17.57 ± 0.54 years of age)) and 7 males (22.26 ± 0.49years of age)), playing folk dances of Erzincan environment to determine visual and auditory hand-foot reaction times of the individuals performing folk dances. Weight, height and body mass index of the subjects and their visual and auditory hand-foot reaction times were determined. In the study, in terms of visual and auditory hand–food reaction times, statistically significant differences were not found between folk dancers and sedantary groups. When genders of folk dancers are compared, right hand auditory (Z=-3.125, p=.002), left hand auditory (Z=-3.012, p=.003), right hand visual (Z=-2.262, p=.008) and left hand visual (Z=:-2.199 , p=.028) reaction times of male folk dancers together with left foot visual reaction times (Z= -2.085, p=.037) were found to be significantly shorter than females’(p<0.05). As a result of the study, male and female folk dancers’ reaction times are observed to have no significant difference from the control group’s reaction times. Also, right and left hand auditory, right hand and left foot visual reaction times are observed to be better than female folk dancers. Being a bar folk dance region, Erzincan folk dances are observed not to have much influence on the young individuals’ reaction times. The fact that the number of the subject participants is low and the region’s folk dances are low paced can be effective on this result