Efficiency of the mnemonic system of expert soccer players under overload of the working memory in a simulated decision-making task

Abstract

Objectives The study aimed at testing the efficiency of memory processes of expert soccer players under dual-tasks conditions involving a domain specific decision-making task and a secondary memorisation load. Method Twelve inexperienced and 12 expert soccer players were presented with a decision-making task based on the soccer-related situations (primary task) and an explicit memorisation task involving verbal and/or visuo-spatial material (secondary task). For the decision-making task, upon presentation of a soccer-related photograph on a computer screen, participants had to indicate which action they would undertake as the ball carrier (pass, keep or shoot). The same photographs appeared twice, according to the short-term priming repetition protocol. The explicit memorisation task involved memorisation and recognition of verbal and/or visuo-spatial items. Performance was recorded under single and dual-task conditions. Results There were no group-related differences in response accuracy or response time for the memorisation tasks. Regarding decision making, in inexperienced players, but not in experts, the priming effect on processing time depended on the nature of the memory task. Conclusion The pattern of results supports the idea of a practice induced adaptation of the functioning of the working memory. The experts appear to benefit from new, specific, memory and information processing resources, such as long-term working memory, enabling them to overcome the limitation of short-term working memory to treat domain specific information under high levels of time or load constraints.