A NEW METHOD HIGHLIGHTING PSYCHOMOTOR SKILLS AND COGNITIVE ATTRIBUTES IN ATHLETE SELECTIONS

Abstract

Talents are extraordinary but not completely developed characteristics in a field. These attributes cover a relatively wide range in sports. Tests perused in selection of athletes are generally motoric sports tests and measure predominantly conditional attributes. It is known that in sports, performance is related to cognitive skills as well as physical features and motor skills. This study explored a new method that could be utilized in the selection and tracking the level of improvement of athletes, and evaluate their attention, perception and learning levels, on athlete and other female students. 9 female table tennis athletes that trained for 16 hours per week for the last 5 years and 9 female students that never played in any sports, aged between 10 and 14 years, were participated in our study. For the Selective Action Array, developed for this study, a table tennis robot was utilized. Robot was set up to send a total of 26 balls in 3 different colors (6 whites, 10 yellows, 10 pinks) to different areas of the table, in random colors and at the rate of 90 balls per minute. The participants were asked to ignore the white balls, to touch the yellow balls and to grab the pink balls using their dominant hands. Pursuant to explaining the task to the participants, two consecutive trials were executed and recorded using a camera. Every action performed/not performed by the participants was transformed into points in the scoring system. First trial total points in the Selective Action Array were 104±17 for athletes and 102±19 for non-athletes, whereas on the second trial total points were 122±11 and 105±20, respectively. The higher scores obtained in the second trial were significant for the athletes; the difference in the scores for non-athletes was minor. Non-athletes scored 33% better for the white balls as compared to the table tennis athletes. For the yellow balls, athletes and non-athletes scored similar points on the first trial, whereas the athletes improved their points around 20%, while no improvement was observed for the non-athletes. Non-athletes scored the worst points for the pink balls and during the second trial a minor decrease in their points was observed. Table tennis athletes demonstrated the highest improvement in points in the second trial for the pink balls. The findings of the selective action array developed for this study showed that in the first phase, and especially in sports played using rackets, the development of the sustenance of attention and visual perception could be attained rapidly. Thus, by making changes in the number and color of the balls as well as differences in actions to be taken, this method could be a new approach to be used for other sports to include the cognitive attributes in selection process of the athletes.