Effect Of Cognitive Intervention On Sports Performance

Abstract

The present study is an experimental investigation to identify the cognitive aspects of sports performance. The cognitive parameters of attention, planning, decision making, set shifting, problem solving and memory are integral to sports performance and must be inculcated along with physical activity training (Cox, 1998).  Reaction time is an excellent indicator of sensorimotor coordination and performance of an athlete (Yordanova ,2023; Balakrishnan, 2014). It determines the alertness of the athlete and should be kept minimal in certain tasks like driving, military activities, playing a sport, surgery, nursing, and guarding a security post where alertness is a primal. Reaction time indicates optimal sensory system, cognitive processing and motor performance. The reaction time is a voluntary response to an external stimulus consisting of a time lag between application of stimulus and appropriate motor response (Batra, 2013). It is expressed in milliseconds. It defines the speed of neurophysiological, cognitive, and information processes which are generated by stimulation of the athlete's sensory system. A sample of 60 sportspersons were taken for the study. The players were randomly assigned to Treatment (N1 =30) and Control group (N2=30). Group 1 received the treatment in form of cognitive task of Stroop color and word test (Golden and Freshwater, 2002) before their actual performance on Reaction time apparatus to determine simple reaction time for 15 trials spanning over 15 days. The color-word interference task is an instrument which indicates the interference control of the subject when presented with unexpected stimuli (Stroop ,1935). The Group 2 (Control Group) received no treatment and performed tasks pertaining to simple reaction time. The reaction time of all the 60 subjects for 15 days were recorded and their mean reaction time was taken as final score of each subject. The comparative data was analyzed using t -test with SPSS software. The study revealed significant group differences highlighting the role of cognitive variable of attention in determining the reaction time which is the underlying mechanism of performance of an athlete.