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1. Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol 3, No 6, 2012
Psychological Evaluation of Sports Persons with Disability
Syed. Tariq Murtaza, Mohd. Imran*
Department of Physical Health and Sports Education,Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 202002,
(U.P.), India.
*E-mail Corresponding Author: imranphe09@yahoo.co.in
Acknowledgement: the authors would like to acknowledge the cooperation of UGC-SAP (DRS-I)
Programme, Department of Physical Health and Sports Education, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to compare the sensation seeking and anxiety state of sports
person with impairment vision problem. The total thirty (15Cricketers and 15 Sprinters) male Open
National tournament players were selected for this study. The age of the subjects were ranged between
18 to 25 years. The data on sensation seeking and anxiety state of the subjects were obtained by using a
questionnaire developed by Neary and Zuckerman (1976). The t test was used to determine the
difference between the mean score of the cricketers and sprinters. Results revealed that there was a
significant difference between Cricketers and sprinters in their sensation seeking and anxiety state at
0.05 level of significance with 28 degree of freedom. Study showed that cricketers have higher level of
sensation seeking and anxiety state as compared to sprinters.
Key Words: Persons with vision impairment, Cricketers, Sprinters, Sensation Seeking and Anxiety
State.
1. Introduction:
Very few people are aware of the fact that the Paralympics games are the gift of Second World
War. After the Second World War patients suffering from various serious injuries were treated by
various physicians and surgeons like Sir Ludwing Gutman. It was the Sir Ludwing Gudman who
realized for the first time that the injury or disability of the body is not a disease or infirmity, rather it is
a condition of the body, anyone can achieve any time by the some chronic disease or accident. He also
realized that only games and sports are the ray of hope to increase the will power to such types of
persons.
Physical education professionals owe the duty of serving the persons with disabilities. The mission
of the physical education teacher is to promote the development of motor skills and abilities so that
people can live healthful and productive lives and engage in recreational and sports activities of their
choosing. The Right of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2011 of Indian Constitution, a successors of
‘Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation), Act 1995’
advised full rights to play and participate in sports on an equal basis with other children.
Sports persons with vision impairment follow the sight classification system developed by the
International Blind Sports Association to ensure fair competition. The system uses three categories to
chart the varying degrees of vision. An athlete in a sport under their designated category as follows:
B1 - From no light perception at all in either eye up to light perception, but the inability to recognize
objects or contours in any direction and at any distance.
B2 - From the ability to recognize objects or contours up at any distance or any direction to a visual
acuity of 20/60 and/or a visual field of less than 5 degrees.
B3 - From visual acuity above 2/60 to 6/60 vision and/or visual field of more than 5 degrees and less
than 20 degrees.
A match of cricket is played between two teams of 11 players comprising a minimum of four
B1 players, minimum of two B2 players, and a maximum of 5 B3 players. The composition of the team
throughout the match will be as per the ratio of the three categories mentioned above. While
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2. Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol 3, No 6, 2012
nominating the team of 11 players before the toss, 12th man in each of the three categories is also to be
announced.
The psychological profile related to Sensation Seeking, and Anxiety State has never been
studied or conceived on the disabled persons. Sensation seeking is a much interesting personality trait
that has its effect on many aspects of our lives. It affects what discipline we prefer, what games/ sports
or occupations we select. Personality traits are underlying characteristics of an individual that are
relatively stable over time, and explain regularities in people’s behaviors. When thinking about people
we know well, we will naturally have noticed how we differ, and our everyday language is full of ways
of describing and comparing people. People may be outgoing or unsociable, shy or confident, friendly
or rude, and so on. People instinctively observe that individuals react differently to the same situations,
and these differences are caused by natural variations in personality traits. Sensation seeking has been
identified as a human trait defined by the seeking of varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and
experiences, and the willingness to take physical, social, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such
an experience (Zuckerman, 1994).
Zuckerman (1971) proposes that there are four sub-dimensions to the sensation-seeking trait:
i) Thrill and Adventure Seeking: Which relates to the willingness to take physical risks and
participate in high- risk sports.
ii) Experience Seeking: Which relates to the need for new and exciting experiences and
associated with all types of risk taking.
iii) Disinhibition: Which relates to a willingness to take social risks and engage in health risk
behaviours.
iv) Boredom Susceptibility: This relates to intolerance of monotony.
Many studies involving sensation seeking have been conducted across a variety of anti-social
risk- taking behaviours, such as drug use and unsafe sexual practices, as well as more socially
acceptable forms of risk-taking behaviours (Zerevski et al.,1998) such as engaging in extreme sports
(Donohew, Zimmerman Cupp, Novak, Colon & Abell,2000;Kerr, 1991; Zuckerman, 1994).
Sensation seeking helps to the individuals to reach and maintain an optimal level of arousal. Sensation
seekers seen characterized by a chronicle under activation, and sight stimulations to increase their level
of arousal to a point that is hedonically positive for them (Eysenck & Zuckerman, 1978). Some studies
have shown that sensation seeking was a significant determinant of the choice of risky activities
(Zalesky, 1984; Zuckerman, 1983) and of the adoption dangerous behaviours in these activities
(Connolly, 1981; Rossi & Cereatti, 1992).
Anxiety can be classified in two ways: trait anxiety and state anxiety. State anxiety is
situational stress induced by situations in the game. A sports person’s autonomic nervous system is
aroused in this state which is the natural reaction of any individual. On the other hand, trait anxiety
can be thought of as a world view that an individual uses when coping with stress. In sports,
individuals who are state anxious and low on the trait anxiety in tough situations, often deliver good
performances concisely. Whereas, athletes who have higher levels of trait anxiety, added with the
state anxiety, tend to perform below expectations.
2. Methodology:
2.1Subjects
A total of thirty (15 Cricketers and 15 Sprinters) male Open National level players with vision
impairment were randomly selected for this study. The age of the selected subjects were ranged
between 16 to 25 years.
2.2 Instruments
Investigators used the Sensation Seeking and Anxiety State Test (SSAST) developed by Neary and
Zuckerman(1976) to obtain data on Sensation Seeking and Anxiety State of the subjects.
2.3 Procedure
8

3. Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol 3, No 6, 2012
The data were collected from the various school/university players with vision impairment who
participated in National Open tournament in Cricket and Athletics. Investigators used the Sensation
Seeking and Anxiety State Test developed by Neary and Zuckerman (1976). The tool consists of 30
statements in which 15 items were regarding Sensation Seeking (SS), and 15 items were for Anxiety
State (AS). The scoring varies from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much) for each item (range=15 to 75). The
item no. 5, 9, 14, and 25 are scoring reversed, i. e. 1 (very much) to 5 (not at all). It is a Likert type 5
points scale and its reliability in reported to be 0.93.
2.4 Statistical Analysis
The t test was used to determine the differences between the means of Cricketers and Sprinters with
vision impairment scores. Further the level of significance was set at 0.05 level.
4. Discussion:
The result of the study showed that there was a significant mean difference between cricketers and
sprinters with vision impairment in their sensation seeking. Cricketers with vision impairment were
found to have more sensation seeking trait as compared to sprinters with vision impairment. It is
because of the nature of activity in their respective games. The activities in cricket are much
unpredictable as compared to the sprinting e.g. the cricket player cannot predict the velocity as well as
the flight of the ball.
The result of the study revealed that the mean difference of the anxiety state of cricketers and sprinters
with vision impairment was found significant. Because sprinters can anticipate the run way (track)
while sprinting. Future research should examine on different psychological profiles of competitive and
non-competitive disabled persons.
5. Conclusion
On the basis of obtained results it is concluded that there was a statistical significant difference
between cricketers and sprinters with vision impairment in their sensation seeking and anxiety state.
References:
Connolly, P. M. (1981). An exploratory study of adults engaging in the high- risk sports of skiing.
Master’s thesis, Rutgers University.
Donohew, L., Zimmerman, R., Cupp, P.S., Novak, S., Abell, R. (2000). Sensation Seeking,
Impulsive Decision Making, and Risky Sex: Implication for Risk Taking and Design of Interventions.
Personality and Individual Differences, 28(6), 1079-1091.
Eysenck, S. B. & Zuckerman, M. (1978). The relationship between sensation seeking and Eysenck’s
dimensions of personality. British Journal of Psychology, 69, 483-487.
Kerr. J. H. (1991). Arousal Seeking in Risk Sports Participants. Personality and Individual Differences,
12(6), 613-616.
Neary., Zuckerman. M. (1976). Sensation Seeking, Trait and State Anxiety and the Electrodermal
Orienting Response. Online Journal Psychophysiology, 13(3), 205-211.
Rossi, B. & Cereatti, L. (1993). The Sensation Seeking in mountain athletes as assessed by
Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale. International Journal of Sports Psychology, 24, 417-431.
Zaleski, Z. (1984). Sensation Seeking and Risk Taking Behavioural Science. Personality and Individual
Differences, 5: 607-608.
Zarevski, P., Marusic, I., Zolotic S., Bunjevac, T., Vukosav, Z. (1998). Contribution of Arnetts
Inventory of Sensation Seeking and Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale. To The Differential of
Athletes Engaged in High and Low Risk Sports. Personality and Individual Differences, 25(4), 763-
768.
Zuckerman, M. (1971). Dimensions of Sensation Seeking. Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology, 36:45-52
Zuckerman, M. (1983). Sensation Seeking and Sports. Personality and Individual Differences, 4:285–
293.
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4. Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol 3, No 6, 2012
Zuckerman, M. (1994). Behavioural Expressions and Biosocial Bases of Sensation Seeking.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Table 1: Indicating mean differences between Cricketers and Sprinters on their sensation
seeking.
Mean SD Cal. ‘t’
Cricketers 58.06 4.44 7.95*
Sprinters 53.06 6.16
*Significant at 0.05 level of significance Tab t = 1.701
When we go through table 1, it is documented that calculated t was higher than tabulated t which
indicated that significant difference between Cricketers and Sprinters with vision problem at 0.05 level
of significance with 28 degree of freedom.
SENSATION SEEKING OF SPORTS PERSONS WITH VISION IMPAIRMENT
SENSATION SEEKING OF CRICKETERS SENSATION SEEKING OF SPRINTERS
58.06
53.06
SENSATION SEEKING OF SENSATION SEEKING OF
CRICKETERS SPRINTERS
Figure 1: Showing graphical representation of mean difference between Cricketers and Sprinters
with vision impairment.
Table 2: Indicating mean differences between Cricketers and Sprinters with vision impairment.
on their anxiety state.
Mean SD Cal. ‘t’
Cricketers 54.2 8.56 1.89*
Sprinters 51.33 5.74
*Significant at 0.05 level of significance Tab t = 1.701
It is clearly documented in table 2 that calculated t was higher than tabulated t which indicated that
significant difference exists between Cricketers and Sprinters with vision impairment in their Anxiety
State at 0.05 level of significance with 28 degree of freedom.
10

5. Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online)
Vol 3, No 6, 2012
ANXIETY STATE OF SPORTS PERSONS WITH VISION
IMPAIRMENT
ANXIETY STATE OF CRICKETERS ANXIETY STATE OF SPRINTERS
54.2
51.33
ANXIETY STATE OF ANXIETY STATE OF
CRICKETERS SPRINTERS
Figure 2: Showing graphical representation of mean differences between Cricketers and
Sprinters with vision impairment.
11

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