The Development of Executive Functions in High-Level Female Soccer Players.

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Executive functions (EFs) are vital for goal-directed behavior, particularly in sports.
• Existing research on EFs in athletes underrepresents female participants.
• High-performing female athletes' cognitive development remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the developmental trajectory of EFs in elite female soccer players.
• To examine the relationship between age and various executive functions.
• To determine if cognitive development differs across playing positions.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-longitudinal study design over five seasons.
• Inclusion of 175 female soccer players (U14-senior) from a professional German club.
• Utilized a comprehensive battery of cognitive tasks measuring sustained attention, inhibition, working memory, and tracking.

Main Results:

• Age demonstrated a negatively accelerated relationship with EFs, indicating development primarily before early adulthood.
• A performance plateau for EFs was observed around 21 years of age.
• Age explained 1-50% of the variance in EFs; playing position was not a significant factor.

Conclusions:

• EFs in female soccer players show a non-linear developmental pattern, peaking around early adulthood.
• The findings suggest a baseline level of EF proficiency is sufficient for elite performance.
• Further research is needed to bridge the gap between lab-based EF measures and in-game cognitive demands.