Examining core executive functions related to playing position in elite and semi-elite soccer players

Abstract

Each moment in the soccer field is different and the players need to be able to process large amounts of information to make the best possible decision and then act upon it. Executive functions such as working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility can therefore be seen as fundamentally important for soccer players. Previous studies have shown a correlation between executive functions and success in soccer. It has also been shown that elite and semi-elite soccer players perform above the norm in standardised tests for executive functions. Research in the area has suggested that different playing positions in soccer might benefit from having different cognitive profiles. This study is aiming to explore if there are any differences in performance between the playing positions on three tasks that were measuring working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. An online-experiment was conducted and the tasks used were Simon task, Corsi block tapping task and alternate task switching. The participants were 71 elite and semi-elite soccer players (female n = 61, male = 10) that were grouped based on their current playing position; Defenders (n = 27), Midfielders (n = 22) and Forwards (n = 22). None of the three dependent variables showed any statistically significant differences between the groups. The future studies should keep studying further the possible differences on executive functions between playing positions with a larger sample size and more complex method choice.