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Related Experiment Videos

Exposing an "Intangible" Cognitive Skill among Collegiate Football Players: Enhanced Interference Control.

Scott A Wylie1, Theodore R Bashore1,2, Nelleke C Van Wouwe3

  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.

Frontiers in Psychology
|February 27, 2018
PubMed
Summary

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Collegiate football players demonstrate superior interference control, effectively shielding responses from visual distractions. Defensive players exhibit the most significant cognitive advantage in managing distraction during gameplay.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Sports Science
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • American football presents a visually complex environment with both relevant and distracting stimuli.
  • Understanding cognitive abilities like interference control is crucial for athletic performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hypothesis that collegiate football players possess enhanced interference control compared to non-athletes.
  • To determine if this cognitive advantage varies across different player positions.

Main Methods:

  • A variant of the Eriksen flanker task was administered to 280 NCAA Division I football players and age-matched controls.
  • The task measured reaction times and accuracy to quantify the impact of visual distraction on response execution.
  • Interference control was assessed by analyzing the 'flanker effect' on reaction time.
Keywords:
attentionflanker taskfootballinhibitioninterference control

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Main Results:

  • Football athletes and controls showed similar overall reaction times and accuracy.
  • Athletes demonstrated significantly better shielding of response execution from distraction, indicated by smaller flanker effect costs on reaction time.
  • Defensive players exhibited the smallest interference costs, suggesting a superior ability to manage distractions.

Conclusions:

  • Football athletes possess a distinct cognitive advantage in executing motor responses amidst visual distraction.
  • This interference control capability varies by playing position, with defensive players showing the greatest proficiency.
  • Individual differences in cognitive control have implications for player selection and training to enhance on-field performance.