Abstract
It has been reported that repetitive execution of a stimulus–response compatibility (SRC) task attenuates the interference effect of a choice reaction time task, known as a Simon task. We investigated whether attentional control, enhanced by repetitive execution of an SRC task, would reduce the interference effect of a Simon task and could be transferred to lacrosse shooting skills, increasing the likelihood that players would shoot in the direction opposite to the goalie’s initial movement. Female lacrosse players who were matched in terms of age, handedness score, competitive lacrosse playing experience, and playing position, were allocated to the SRC task group (n = 15) or the 2-back training group (n = 14). Participants underwent 10 sessions of 180 trials of a computer-based version of either a Type 2 SRC task or the 2-back task, within four consecutive weeks. Eight practice trials were completed prior to the execution of each task in every training session, during which feedback was provided to confirm accurate mapping between the stimulus and response. Before and after the training phase, both the magnitude of the Simon effect and the lacrosse shooting performance were assessed. After participating in computer-based cognitive training, players did indeed increase the number of shots toward the direction opposite to that of the movement of the goalie. In conclusion, these findings indicate that computer-based cognitive training is beneficial for improving the shooting ability of lacrosse players.
Highlights
IntroductionMany studies of lacrosse have focused on the physical aspects of lacrosse players, such as strength and conditioning (e.g., Gutowski and Rosene, 2011), or kinematic variables that contribute to ball velocity and the accuracy of lacrosse shots (e.g., Macaulay et al, 2016)
Lacrosse is an ancient sport that originated in North America
The purpose of this study was to determine if the attentionallocation strategy induced by the repetition of computer-based training could transfer to the attentional control ability of the lacrosse shooter’s performance
Summary
Many studies of lacrosse have focused on the physical aspects of lacrosse players, such as strength and conditioning (e.g., Gutowski and Rosene, 2011), or kinematic variables that contribute to ball velocity and the accuracy of lacrosse shots (e.g., Macaulay et al, 2016). Relatively few studies have investigated the cognitive aspects of lacrosse, such as attentional control and decision-making for an appropriate response. In lacrosse, shooting in the direction opposite to that of the goalie’s movement can be an effective strategy for scoring, because the goal-width in lacrosse is quite narrow (1.83 m × 1.83 m). The shooter needs to observe the movement of the goalie carefully and shoot in the direction. PC-Based Training for Lacrosse Shots opposite of the goalie’s movement as quickly as possible after the goalie starts to move. Shooting in the opposite direction of the goalie’s movement is not easy, due to the spatial incompatibility of the direction of the goalie’s movement and the spot the shooter should target
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