Motor Skill Experience and Attention
Author Information
Author(s): Aly Mohamed, Alzahrani Turki, Fakehy Mohammed, Abass Mohamed, Mohamed Sheref
Primary Institution: Assiut University
Hypothesis
Individuals who regularly engage in physical exercise will exhibit shorter response time, shorter P3 latency, and increased P3 amplitude compared to those who exercise irregularly.
Conclusion
Participation in either open- or closed-skill sports can enhance attentional engagement beyond the sports context in healthy young adults, with aerobic fitness playing a key role in supporting cognitive performance.
Supporting Evidence
- Both open- and closed-skill athletes exhibited significantly larger P3 amplitudes than non-athletes.
- No significant differences in response time or accuracy were observed between the groups.
- Aerobic fitness was positively correlated with P3 amplitude.
Takeaway
Playing sports helps you pay attention better, and being fit makes it even easier to focus.
Methodology
Participants completed an auditory oddball task while their brain activity was measured to assess attentional processing.
Limitations
The cross-sectional design limits causal inferences, and the auditory oddball task may not fully capture real-world attentional engagement.
Participant Demographics
Participants included 31 open-skill athletes, 31 closed-skill athletes, and 31 control participants, all age-matched and with no cognitive impairments.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.01
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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