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Free-throw shooting during dual-task performance: implications for attentional demand and performance.

Jayme Price¹, Diane L Gill, Jennifer Etnier

¹Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Elon University, Elon, North Carolina 27244, USA. jprice11@elon.edu

Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport

|December 23, 2009

Summary

This study found that the preshot routine (PP1) and initial ball movement (PP2) during a free throw demand the most attention. Participants maintained free-throw performance while responding to auditory cues, indicating attentional focus.

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Area of Science:

Sports Science
Cognitive Psychology
Motor Skill Acquisition

Background:

Understanding attentional demands is crucial for optimizing athletic performance.
The dual-task paradigm is a valuable tool for assessing cognitive load in motor tasks.
Previous research has not precisely identified peak attentional moments in the basketball free-throw process.

Purpose of the Study:

To pinpoint the specific phases of the free-throw process that require the highest attentional resources.
To investigate the relationship between attentional demand and free-throw execution accuracy.
To utilize the dual-task paradigm to quantify cognitive load during a complex motor skill.

Main Methods:

Thirty participants performed 40 free-throw trials each.
A dual-task paradigm involved responding to auditory probes at four distinct probe positions (PPs) during the free throw.
Repeated measures ANOVA was employed to analyze free-throw performance and response times (RTs) across PPs.

Main Results:

No significant differences in free-throw performance were observed across the four probe positions.
Response times (RTs) to auditory probes were significantly higher at PP1 (preshot routine) and PP2 (first upward motion of the ball) compared to baseline.
Attentional demand was greatest during PP1, followed by PP2, as indicated by elevated RTs.

Conclusions:

The preshot routine (PP1) represents the most attentionally demanding phase of the basketball free throw.
The initial upward motion of the ball (PP2) also requires significant attentional resources.
Athletes can maintain primary task performance (free throw) even when secondary tasks (auditory probes) are introduced, but attentional load varies by phase.