Date: Sun, 08 Feb 2009 02:48:21 +0100 From: the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net Subject: The_Dojang digest, Vol 16 #47 - 1 msg X-Mailer: Mailman v2.0.13.cisto1 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13.cisto1 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net List-Unsubscribe: , List-Id: The Internet's premier discussion forum on Korean Martial Arts. List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Status: O X-Status: X-Keywords: Send The_Dojang mailing list submissions to the_dojang@martialartsresource.net To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net You can reach the person managing the list at the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of The_Dojang digest..." <<------------------ The_Dojang mailing list ------------------>> Serving the Internet since June 1994. Copyright 1994-2009: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The Internet's premier discussion forum devoted to Korean Martial Arts. 2,500 members. See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of The_Dojang at http://MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Today's Topics: 1. Red wins (Ray) --__--__-- Message: 1 From: Ray To: The_Dojang Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 09:09:14 -0800 Subject: [The_Dojang] Red wins Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net "In 2005, a team of anthropologists from Durham University published a study which found that athletes at the 2004 Olympics in Athens who were randomly assigned red uniforms in tae kwon do, wrestling, and boxing won 60 percent of the time over opponents wearing blue. The researchers culled similar data from Euro 2004." February 6, 2009 U.S. Soccer Seeing Red By Andrew Keh The U.S. Soccer Federation re-issued orders to Sam’s Army and the militia of American soccer fans to “red-out” Columbus Crew Stadium next Wednesday for the national team’s World Cup qualifier against Mexico. On the one hand, asking spectators to wear red clothing in the stands is a traditional way to present a unified front and increase the camaraderie — and home-field advantage — in the stadium when the Americans face their fiercest regional rival. But there may also be a scientific reason behind the wardrobe edict. On Thursday, the New York Times’ Pam Belluck wrote about a new study published this week in Science magazine that examined differences in human cognitive performance when people see red or blue. In the study, conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia, participants performed tasks while looking at images or words set against red, blue, or neutral backgrounds on a computer screen. The red group, Belluck reported, performed better on tests requiring memory and attention to detail. The blue group, meanwhile, did better on tests requiring creativity or imagination. The study is only the latest in a series of discussions and formal experiments in the past few years looking at the effects of colors on athletic competition. In 2005, a team of anthropologists from Durham University published a study which found that athletes at the 2004 Olympics in Athens who were randomly assigned red uniforms in tae kwon do, wrestling, and boxing won 60 percent of the time over opponents wearing blue. The researchers culled similar data from Euro 2004. Who can forget how the overachieving South Korean national team, buoyed by home support that resembled a red tide, who charged into the semifinals of World Cup 2002? “Red seems to be the color, across species, that signals male dominance and testosterone levels,” Robert Barton, one of the Durham researchers, said at the time. The color, the researchers surmised, boosted the testosterone levels of those wearing it and had an opposite effect on those facing it. Last summer, a paper published in the journal Psychological Science by a team of researchers from the University of Munster in Germany put a different spin on the matter. The psychologists showed 42 experienced tae kwon do referees video clips of matches that pitted one athlete in red against one in blue. Through digital manipulation, the researchers were able to switch the colors in the videos for different tests. In identical clips, they found participants wearing red were awarded 13 percent more points than those in blue. The researchers speculated that the color red did not boost athletic performance so much as it swayed referees to perceive a nonexistent competitive advantage. But they also fired a warning to any soccer teams that might try to use this cognitive quirk to their advantage. “One can speculate that the red-clothed players are associated not only with more dominance but also with more aggressiveness,” the researchers wrote. “In ambiguous foul decisions this could be a disadvantage.” U.S. Soccer seems to believe an increase in tactical cognition and testosterone is worth a few sketchy calls from the referees. --__--__-- _______________________________________________ The_Dojang mailing list The_Dojang@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang Subscribe or Unsubscribe: http://the-dojang.net Old digest issues @ ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com/pub/the_dojang Copyright 1994-2009: Ray Terry and http://MartialArtsResource.com Standard disclaimers apply. Remember September 11. End of The_Dojang Digest