Nian Q, Lu W, Xu Y. Effects of object working memory load on visual search in basketball players: an eye movement study.
BMC Psychol 2023;
11:446. [PMID:
38115097 PMCID:
PMC10731696 DOI:
10.1186/s40359-023-01488-6]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Working memory may affect the athletes' visual search ability.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to examine the differences in the performance of visual search tasks among basketball players of varying sport levels, considering the influence of different object working memory loads.
METHOD
This study recruited forty-two participants who were divided into three groups based on the classification of elite athletes: competitive elite, semi-elite, and novice.
RESULTS
Objective working memory load significantly impacts the accuracy of visual search, reaction time, and gaze fixation in basketball players. In the visual search task of the basketball sports scene, the inclusion of object working memory load led to a significant decrease in the accuracy of visual search, a significant increase in reaction time, a significant increase in the number of fixation points, and a more complex gaze trajectory. In a visual search task with object working memory load, the difference in reaction time between basketball players of different sport levels was observed during the search initiation time and scanning time, with higher sport levels associated with shorter reaction times. The effect of object working memory load on the eye movement phase of visual search varied among basketball players of different sport levels. For the novice group, the effect was on the reaction time during the verification phase, while for the semi-elite and competitive elite groups, the effect was on the reaction time during the scanning phase.
CONCLUSION
The effect of object working memory load on visual search varied among basketball players of different sport levels.
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