Psychological Outcomes Following Slow Cortical Potential Neurofeedback in Competitive Golfers: An Exploratory...

Background: Slow Cortical Potential (SCP) neurofeedback trains voluntary regulation of cortical excitability states linked to anticipatory control and prefrontal executive function. In competitive sport contexts, these neural mechanisms may translate into changes in psychological constructs that shape performance under pressure. Objective: To explore between-group differences in psychological outcomes assessed during a standardized simulated putting task before and after an eight-week SCP neurofeedback program in golfers, including affective state, self-efficacy and confidence, perceived task workload, and causal attribution patterns, compared with a wait-list control condition. Methods: Forty-two active competitive golfers were randomized to a Training group (n = 21), completing an eight-week SCP neurofeedback protocol, or a wait-list Control group (n = 21). Psychological outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention during standardized competitive settings (simulated putting competitions). Validated instruments included the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), self-efficacy and confidence ratings, a Task Evaluation questionnaire, and a sport-adapted causal attribution checklist. Non-parametric statistics (Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon signed-rank) were used where normality assumptions were not met, with rank-biserial correlation (RBC) as the effect size measure. Results: Affective dimensions (SAM valence, activation, dominance; PANAS negative affect; and STAI state anxiety) remained stable across simulated competitions in both groups. Within the Training group only, state anxiety decreased from pre- to post-task at the second simulated competition (p = 0.012), but the corresponding Group × Simulated Competition × Task-phase estimate was not significant (estimate = -1.76, 95% CI [-7.82, 4.30], p = 0.560, FDR-adjusted p = 0.958), indicating that this within-group change was not differential relative to the Control group, which changed in the same direction. Across the full direct between-group treatment contrasts, none reached statistical significance before or after false-discovery-rate correction (all raw p ≥ 0.24; all FDR-adjusted p ≥ 0.96). A within-group increase in luck attribution in the Training group (p = 0.007) reflected a fully one-directional pattern of change (rank-biserial correlation = 1.00, driven by zero decreases among the nine participants who changed) rather than an unusually large effect. Conclusions: These results did not find evidence that this eight-week SCP neurofeedback program produced differential psychological effects relative to a wait-list control. The within-group anxiety, self-efficacy, and luck-attribution patterns reported, before FDR corrections, could serve as hypothesis-generating observations.