Illustrating Life-Span Development in Physical Competence

Abstract

Many undergraduates have the misconception that there is an inevitable major decline in physical performance with increasing age. This article describes an activity to counteract this misconception and to illustrate how life-span changes in physical performance can be influenced by psychological factors. Students are asked to predict developmental changes in championship times for an athletic event—the 1-km bicycle time trial. Next, they are presented with the actual results and asked to rate their surprise at the discrepancy between their predictions and the actual results. Students' misconceptions are explored in a follow-up class discussion.