Motor skill experience modulates attentional processing regardless of open- or closed-skill types: an ERP study

BackgroundAttentional engagement, the ability to maintain focus on relevant tasks, plays a crucial role in optimizing human performance. Studies have shown that athletes exhibit superior attentional engagement compared to non-athletes; however, it remains unclear if these benefits persist in non-spo...

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Main Authors: Mohamed Aly, Turki Alzahrani, Mohammed Fakehy, Mohamed Abass, Sheref Mohamed
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1460684/full
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author Mohamed Aly
Turki Alzahrani
Mohammed Fakehy
Mohamed Abass
Sheref Mohamed
author_facet Mohamed Aly
Turki Alzahrani
Mohammed Fakehy
Mohamed Abass
Sheref Mohamed
author_sort Mohamed Aly
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundAttentional engagement, the ability to maintain focus on relevant tasks, plays a crucial role in optimizing human performance. Studies have shown that athletes exhibit superior attentional engagement compared to non-athletes; however, it remains unclear if these benefits persist in non-sport-related tasks or differ across types of sports expertise, such as open-skill versus closed-skill sports.MethodsNinety-three young adults, divided into open-skill athletes (n = 31), closed-skill athletes (n = 31), and a control group (n = 31), completed an auditory oddball task while the P3 component of event-related potentials was measured to assess attentional processing. Aerobic fitness was assessed using the YMCA fitness test, and linear regression models, adjusted for confounders, examined the relationship between aerobic fitness and attentional processing.ResultsFindings revealed that both open- and closed-skill athletes exhibited significantly larger P3 amplitudes than non-athletes, indicating enhanced attentional engagement. However, no significant differences in response time or response accuracy were observed between the groups. Hierarchical regression analysis further demonstrated a positive correlation between aerobic fitness and P3 amplitude, underscoring the role of aerobic fitness in cognitive processing.ConclusionThese findings suggest that 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. Additionally, this study extends previous findings from Western and Asian literature by providing evidence from an Egyptian sample, thereby supporting the generalizability of the cognitive benefits of aerobic fitness and sports participation across different cultural contexts.
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spelling doaj-art-5877aab918fc4709ac569a95b1f37d242024-12-20T11:24:31ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-12-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.14606841460684Motor skill experience modulates attentional processing regardless of open- or closed-skill types: an ERP studyMohamed Aly0Turki Alzahrani1Mohammed Fakehy2Mohamed Abass3Sheref Mohamed4Department of Educational Sciences and Sports Psychology, Faculty of Physical Education, Assiut University, Assiut, EgyptDepartment of Sport Sciences, College of Education, Taif University, Taif, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Biomechanics and Motor Behavior, College of Sport Sciences and Physical Activity, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Educational Sciences and Sports Psychology, Faculty of Physical Education, Assiut University, Assiut, EgyptDepartment of Educational Sciences and Sports Psychology, Faculty of Physical Education, Assiut University, Assiut, EgyptBackgroundAttentional engagement, the ability to maintain focus on relevant tasks, plays a crucial role in optimizing human performance. Studies have shown that athletes exhibit superior attentional engagement compared to non-athletes; however, it remains unclear if these benefits persist in non-sport-related tasks or differ across types of sports expertise, such as open-skill versus closed-skill sports.MethodsNinety-three young adults, divided into open-skill athletes (n = 31), closed-skill athletes (n = 31), and a control group (n = 31), completed an auditory oddball task while the P3 component of event-related potentials was measured to assess attentional processing. Aerobic fitness was assessed using the YMCA fitness test, and linear regression models, adjusted for confounders, examined the relationship between aerobic fitness and attentional processing.ResultsFindings revealed that both open- and closed-skill athletes exhibited significantly larger P3 amplitudes than non-athletes, indicating enhanced attentional engagement. However, no significant differences in response time or response accuracy were observed between the groups. Hierarchical regression analysis further demonstrated a positive correlation between aerobic fitness and P3 amplitude, underscoring the role of aerobic fitness in cognitive processing.ConclusionThese findings suggest that 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. Additionally, this study extends previous findings from Western and Asian literature by providing evidence from an Egyptian sample, thereby supporting the generalizability of the cognitive benefits of aerobic fitness and sports participation across different cultural contexts.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1460684/fullaerobic fitnesssports activityopen-skill exerciseclosed-skill exerciseexercise modeevent-related potential
spellingShingle Mohamed Aly
Turki Alzahrani
Mohammed Fakehy
Mohamed Abass
Sheref Mohamed
Motor skill experience modulates attentional processing regardless of open- or closed-skill types: an ERP study
Frontiers in Psychology
aerobic fitness
sports activity
open-skill exercise
closed-skill exercise
exercise mode
event-related potential
title Motor skill experience modulates attentional processing regardless of open- or closed-skill types: an ERP study
title_full Motor skill experience modulates attentional processing regardless of open- or closed-skill types: an ERP study
title_fullStr Motor skill experience modulates attentional processing regardless of open- or closed-skill types: an ERP study
title_full_unstemmed Motor skill experience modulates attentional processing regardless of open- or closed-skill types: an ERP study
title_short Motor skill experience modulates attentional processing regardless of open- or closed-skill types: an ERP study
title_sort motor skill experience modulates attentional processing regardless of open or closed skill types an erp study
topic aerobic fitness
sports activity
open-skill exercise
closed-skill exercise
exercise mode
event-related potential
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1460684/full
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AT mohammedfakehy motorskillexperiencemodulatesattentionalprocessingregardlessofopenorclosedskilltypesanerpstudy
AT mohamedabass motorskillexperiencemodulatesattentionalprocessingregardlessofopenorclosedskilltypesanerpstudy
AT sherefmohamed motorskillexperiencemodulatesattentionalprocessingregardlessofopenorclosedskilltypesanerpstudy