How do ice hockey players in different divisions compare on executive functions? : A comparative study of athletes

Abstract: Previous investigations into executive functions among athletes, particularly in team sports, have reported greater functioning for those in the highest level of competition. One such sport that has received less attention in research is ice hockey. The present study aimed to compare the performances of ice hockey players in different levels of competition on measures of inhibition, shifting, and updating. Furthermore, it hypothesised that athletes in higher competitive divisions would outperform those in lower divisions. With this aim in mind, 17 ice hockey players from different divisions of the Swedish national hockey league were recruited and completed a flanker task, local-global task, and 3-back task, as well as two alternate tasks featuring hockey-specific stimuli. Comparisons between high-skill and low-skill athletes were insignificant for inhibition and updating measures, while the comparison for shifting favoured low-skill athletes. This finding did not extend to a comparison between elite and non-elite players. The results do not support the given hypothesis, and future investigations should recruit a larger sample in order to further clarify the findings of low-skill outperforming high-skill athletes.