Gender Influence on Mean Pulse Rate

| Gender Influence on Mean Pulse Rate | Laboratory Write-Up | Section 3
Kimberly Schmidt
Section 3
Kimberly Schmidt | Savannah LeRette | 9/2/2012 |

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Results In this experiment, we observed the effects that gender had on the mean pulse rate of men and women. Our goal was to support the prediction that stated, “If you are a female, then you will have a lower pulse rate.” The male subjects had an average pulse rate of 69 beats per minute before the step test. This was only 2 beats more than the average pulse rate of the female subjects, which was 67 beats per minute. The pulse rates of all subjects, male or female, before the step test were about the same, excluding a couple of outliers, as seen in Figure 1.
The average pulse rate of the male subjects after the step test was 93 beats per minute, which was significantly lower than the average pulse rate of the female subjects after the step test, which was 100 beats per minute. The pulse rates of all subjects, male or female, after the step test were more varied than before the step test, as seen in Figure 2.
The recovery time was also measured. Female subjects took about a minute longer on average to return to their normal pulse rate compared to the male subjects, as seen in Ta Table 1. Recovery Time (minutes) | Subject | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Average | Male | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | 2 | 1.3 | Female | 2 | 1.1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.9 |
Discussion
In this experiment, we were observing the role that gender played when it came to heart rate. We observed the pulse rate of male and female subjects before and after the step test. We also observed the recovery time of all subjects. The hypothesis was that gender did have an effect on the mean pulse rate. The prediction was that if you are a female, then you will have a slower pulse rate. The experiment falsified the hypothesis as the results showed that the average pulse rate for female subjects was significantly faster than male subjects. The recovery rate was also significantly faster for female subjects compared to male subjects. In the experiment conducted by my team, our results supported the hypothesis but not the prediction. Our female subject had a significantly faster heart rate than our male subject before and after the step test. Before the step test, the female subject’s heart rate was faster than the male subject’s by three beats. After the step test, the female subject’s heart rate was faster than the male subject’s by six beats. The female subject’s recovery rate was slower than the male subject’s by thirty seconds. The class’s experiment also supported the hypothesis but not the prediction. Before the step test, the female subjects’ average heart rate was slower than the male subjects’ by two beats. The average was thrown off by an extremely low outlier, as seen in Figure 1. After the step test, the female subjects’ average heart rate was faster than the male subjects’ by seven beats, as seen in Figure 2. The recovery time of the female subjects was slower than the male subjects; the female subjects averaged 1.9 minutes, whereas the male subjects averaged only 1.3 minutes, as seen in Table 1. These results did not confirm our prediction, but did support the hypothesis. Our study is supported by similar results from past studies. One study found that gender has a significant effect on heart rate along with age, body mass index, and the functional capacity of the heart (Antelmi, 2003). Another study found that while gender and age had a small influence on heart rate, a person’s physical fitness has a much more significant effect. (Gregoire, 1). A study done by a student at Calvin College found that gender had an effect when combined with different temperatures and climates, suggesting that men had faster pulse rates only in warmer temperatures. His study found that gender didn’t have much of an influence when it came to mild or cold climates (Shoemaker, 1). The outlier in the female subjects’ heart rates affected the average heart rate before the step test. The outlier was 48 beats per minute, whereas the other heart rates were between 65 and 75 beats per minute. Without this outlier, the average heart rate of the female subjects would have been much higher, providing more evidence to support the hypothesis. In conclusion, the results of our experiments supported the hypothesis, but did not confirm the prediction. The prediction stated that if you were a female, then you would have a slower pulse rate. However, the results showed that if you were a female, then you had a faster pulse rate.

Works Cited
Gregoire J., T. S. (1996, December 21). Herat rate variability at rest and exercise: influence of age, gender, and physical training. Retrieved September 3, 2012, from PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8959312
Ivana Antelmi, R. S. (2003, June 26). Influence of age, gender, body mass index, and functional capacity on heart rate variablility in a cohort of subjects without heart disease. Retrieved September 3, 2012, from American Journal of Cardiology: http://www.ajconline.org/article/S0002-9149(03)01505-4/abstract
Shoemaker, A. L. (1996). What 's Normal? Temperature, Gender, and Heart Rate. Journal of Statistics Education.
Solutions, P. L. (2011). Symbiosis. Pearson Learning Solutions.

Cited: Gregoire J., T. S. (1996, December 21). Herat rate variability at rest and exercise: influence of age, gender, and physical training. Retrieved September 3, 2012, from PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8959312 Ivana Antelmi, R. S. (2003, June 26). Influence of age, gender, body mass index, and functional capacity on heart rate variablility in a cohort of subjects without heart disease. Retrieved September 3, 2012, from American Journal of Cardiology: http://www.ajconline.org/article/S0002-9149(03)01505-4/abstract Shoemaker, A. L. (1996). What 's Normal? Temperature, Gender, and Heart Rate. Journal of Statistics Education. Solutions, P. L. (2011). Symbiosis. Pearson Learning Solutions.