Vol 4 Test 10 Part 3

PART 3
Speaker 1 0:00
Section three, you will hear two psychology students called Katie and Daniel, discussing how taking a walk can affect people's creativity and physical well being. First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26 on page five.

Speaker 1 1:06
Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26.

Unknown Speaker 1:14
Hi, Daniel.

Speaker 2 1:15
Katie, you look as if you're off somewhere. Yes,

Speaker 3 1:19
I was just heading out for a walk. Funny.

Speaker 2 1:22
I was just reading an article about some research that's been done on the effects of walking on creativity.

Unknown Speaker 1:28
Sounds interesting.

Speaker 2 1:31
I've always found walking helped me think. But this article confirms that everybody can benefit. Oh, it's helped me more. Okay. But I may even do some more research on it at some point. So don't pinch my idea.

Speaker 3 1:46
Promise? Well, in the

Speaker 2 1:49
experiments, the researchers tested participants creativity by comparing how many ideas they thought of while they were walking, compared to while they were doing other activities. What like listening to music, nothing like that. But they did analyze the ideas participants came up with when sitting both outdoors and inside. What I found surprising was that they didn't compare walking to other forms of exercise, like running, for example.

Speaker 3 2:22
Right? So what was the difference between the experiments?

Speaker 2 2:26
Well, in each one, the activities were put together in different ways. Several of the experiments specifically focused on the ability of participants to come up with new ideas. Then the final experiment was a control test of sorts. Oh, right. In one experiment, participants had to think of unusual uses for three everyday objects within a time limit. Okay. And then there was an experiment with words. What did they ask them to do? Compare words in unusual ways? For example, the word sweet if participants simply said, sweet as sugar, that wasn't creative, but an answer, like sweet as a cat with honey on its paws was

Speaker 3 3:16
okay. I can see why they'd ask them to do that. Really.

Speaker 2 3:21
I just don't see how the experiment is fair.

Speaker 3 3:24
Why? Because the conclusions are based only on the researchers opinion.

Speaker 2 3:29
I think it's more that anyone who'd studied language would be at an advantage.

Speaker 3 3:35
Okay. Was there an experiment about focused thinking?

Speaker 2 3:40
Yeah, there was. It aimed to find out if walking helped focused thinking, though, I wasn't sure that I agreed with their findings. They decided that walking doesn't help this type of thinking, what evidence did they have? Well, that's it. I don't think there was enough evidence to support their conclusions, even if their methods were sound.

Speaker 3 4:03
Well, I'd certainly hesitate before making such a bold statement.

Speaker 2 4:08
Still, it's a first step isn't it? I suppose to move forward with this. They'll need to test other ways people keep fit, like swimming,

Speaker 3 4:18
that would be useful. But personally, I'd like to know more about the fundamental reason for the effect on people's creativity.

Speaker 2 4:27
That would be good, then it could be applied more widely in work, for example,

Unknown Speaker 4:32
again, that secondary really.

Speaker 1 4:38
Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 27 to 30 on page six,

Speaker 1 5:06
Now listen and answer questions 27 to 30.

Speaker 2 5:14
But how would you test walking if you wanted to assess its physical benefits?

Speaker 3 5:20
Well, firstly, I'd like to know more about the benefits of different situations.

Speaker 2 5:26
And what about the effect of footwear? hadn't thought of that? Well, I've read that shoes with thinner soles were found to be better for people's joints. It even made the skeletal structure tougher.

Speaker 3 5:39
Interesting. Was that because they lost weight?

Speaker 2 5:42
Not as far as I'm aware. And then there's walking in the mountains

Speaker 3 5:47
Walking in the mountains. I think I've read something about that. That doesn't altitude help people regulate their sleep patterns.

Speaker 2 5:57
It's more that it improves your vision. It must be those breathtaking views.

Speaker 3 6:01
Yeah. And what about the effect that walking has for elderly people

Speaker 2 6:06
Better balanced by any chance? More than that?

Speaker 3 6:11
It had a positive effect by helping them maintain their body clocks, natural rhythm, both when going to bed and waking up.

Speaker 2 6:19
Right. And what about the effect of walking long distances?

Speaker 3 6:24
Well, a person needs to find the balance between their optimum speed and their natural breathing pattern. Once they're synchronized, they can just keep on going for much longer periods than they could before.

Speaker 2 6:38
I can see how that would work. But anyway

Speaker 1 6:45
That is the end of section three. You will now have half a minute to check your answers.

Speaker 1 7:21
Now turn to section four on page seven