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Changes in Perceived Mental Load and Motor Performance during Practice-to-Learn and Practice-to-Maintain in
Alejandro Gutiérrez-Capote1,2, Iker Madinabeitia1,2, Elisa Torre1
1Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sports Science, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
Summary
Practicing basketball with added restrictions increases mental load and decreases performance. However, players with more experience and better inhibition are less affected, suggesting personalized practice difficulty.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Motor Learning
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Attentional resource allocation in sports practice is linked to perceived mental load.
- Limited ecological studies consider player characteristics like experience and cognition in this context.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the dose-response effect of two practice types on mental load and motor performance.
- To investigate how player characteristics moderate these effects.
Main Methods:
- Forty-four university students participated in two practice sessions: 'practice to maintain' (standard rules) and 'practice to learn' (restricted 1x1 basketball tasks).
- Linear mixed model analysis was used to assess mental load (NASA-TLX) and performance.
Main Results:
- 'Practice to learn' resulted in higher perceived mental load and worse performance compared to 'practice to maintain'.
- These effects were significantly moderated by player experience and inhibition capacity (p=0.001), particularly under temporal restrictions (p<0.0001).
Conclusions:
- Increasing task difficulty through restrictions negatively impacts performance and increases mental load.
- Individual differences in experience and inhibition capacity are crucial moderators, indicating a need for personalized practice adjustments.
