The contributions of executive functions to decision-making in sport

In sports, when the game situations become complex, untypical, and uncertain, making good decisions requires controlled processing, i.e., executive functions to regulate thought and action. The current study aimed at comprehending the effects of three core executive functions on decision-making in sport. In study 1, 86 volleyball players (49 experts and 37 novices) completed a routine blocking decision task as well as three core executive function tasks assessing updating, inhibition and shifting. Results showed that the effects of executive functions on blocking decision accuracy were moderated by sports level, with significant predictivity observed only for experts. In study 2, 32 expert players engaged in a dual-task version of the blocking decision task. In this study, only updating was correlated with decision accuracy. Study 3, involving 26 experts, introduced interference during the decision task. The findings highlighted a closer, albeit not statistically significant, relationship between decision accuracy and inhibition compared to updating. Collectively, these findings demonstrated the nuanced yet crucial roles of executive functions in decision-making in sport, underscoring more efficient cognitive processing among higher-level athletes and the different roles served by each executive function.