Latest news with #LukePotwarka
CTV News
17 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
University of Waterloo researchers look into what keeps hockey fans hooked
Researchers at the University of Waterloo want to know what happens to the brain when fans watch hockey. CTV's Heather Senoran reports. Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Researchers from the University of Waterloo are monitoring brain activity to find out what keeps hockey fans hooked on watching their favourite sport. While watching a game, the brains of die-hard hockey fans reacted differently compared to casual viewers, according to their study. The study involved 20 University of Waterloo students who watched the first period of a 2018 European Hockey League game while hooked up to a non-invasive device known as a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). 'We didn't want to show a Leaf's playoff game or anything like that because presumably even the more casual fans might already have preconceived notions,' said Luke Potwarka, a professor and co-author of the study. Researchers analyzed the brain activity of participants wearing the device. 'So based off of these different channels in the headband, we can see as people are say sitting watching a sport game, how blood flow is changing in different parts of the brain,' said Adrian Safati, PhD candidate the Department of Psychology. More blood flow usually means more excitement, even if there isn't much going on in the game. 'There was actually no scoring. And we carefully intentionally chose that game because presumably that key moment would have been the same to both,' said Potwarka. Researchers found that it wasn't scoring opportunities that caught their attention but the brain activity during offensive faceoffs. Researchers said those who were hockey fanatics were more engaged during those times compared to non-committed viewers of the game. 'They see something in the works in motion and they have this greater understanding of how that might be unfolding,' said Safati. This was the first study from the Spectator Experience and Technology Laboratory at the department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. The team said it won't be their last. 'We want to see how does it look in basketball, what are the key moments? What are the moments of active activity and engagement that us viewers might have and those different types of sports?' said Potwarka.
Global News
2 days ago
- Science
- Global News
Ontario university study finds hockey fanatics get more excited for faceoffs
Researchers at the University of Waterloo conducted a study which found that hockey fanatics react differently during key moments in a hockey game versus how a more casual viewer takes things in. 'The broad aim of the study was to examine the extent to which brain activity, as captured by a brain imaging device, might differ between spectators who identify as being a highly-committed fan of a sport, compared to the more casual viewer,' professor Luke Potwarka told Global News. To conduct the study, the researchers found undergrads who were more committed or more casual fans and had them watch a period of a hockey game from Europe in 2018 with a brain imaging device strapped to their head. 'Once the participants were in our lab, they were fitted with a functional near infrared spectroscopy brain imaging,' Potwarka said. Story continues below advertisement 'It's a non-invasive headband that just goes right over the forehead. And what the device does is it uses infrared light to detect blood flow in the medial prefrontal cortex. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Then we then monitored and collected real-time data as participants watched the first period, the 20 minutes of this 2018 European Hockey League game between the Cardiff Devils and the Nottingham Panthers.' In a bit of a cruel twist, the lab rats were subjected to 20 minutes of scoreless hockey, but the researchers were not looking at goals but rather other portions of the game. 'Our research team really focused in on examining responses to two key moments during a previously recorded European hockey game: scoring chances and offensive faceoff opportunities,' Potwarka said. 'We found that more committed and passionate hockey fans had significantly more activation in the regions of the brain that are responsible for evaluating and judging social situations than more casual viewers. And surprisingly, this trend was not observed for scoring chances, so it was just the offensive faceoff.' Adrian Safati, A PhD candidate at the university, said it was also a chance to test out the Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). 'This is a more applied use of this neuroimaging technology. So in a way, it's a proof of concept that we are able to detect physiological changes in the brain in response to key events during something like a sporting match,' he explained. Story continues below advertisement 'And this could allow us to, in the future, try to understand different underlying mechanisms in attention and involvement in viewers watching the sport.' Potwarka noted that this is just proof of concept as they move forward in a journey which could lead to a better understanding of fan engagement. 'I think the payoff, practically speaking, is we may have a better sense of what might actually drive non-casual fans or what types of things we could narrate or broadcast or produce sports in ways that may be more engaging for both sets of audiences,' the Waterloo prof said. 'So we may (see) some insights about what's really happening here and what might people bring viewers in. Maybe there could be long-term implications for turning more casual fans into longer-term fans.'
