EVALUATION OF COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN CHILD FOOTBALL PLAYERS AGED 8-15: A STUDY BASED ON THE STROOP TEST TBAG FORM AND THE CHILDREN’S COLOUR TRAILS TEST

Authors : Muhammed Sıddık Çemç, Enes Madak, Özgür Gülen

Pages : 426-442

View : 42 | Download : 33

Publication Date : 2024-12-23

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study aims to evaluate the cognitive functions of child football players aged 8-15 in terms of attention, processing speed, and cognitive flexibility. Accordingly, the study included 46 male athletes who played football at sports clubs in Yalova. Additionally, a control group was formed, comprising 60 male volunteer students from elementary and secondary school levels. Participants were administered the Stroop Test TBAG Form and the Children’s Colour Trails Test (CCTT). The data obtained were analyzed using the JASP 0.19 software, and the significance level was set at p<0.05. The findings revealed that child football players had faster completion times on the Stroop Test TBAG Form compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of the number of errors and corrections. Nonetheless, child football players made more errors and corrections on the Stroop Test TBAG Form than the control group. Regarding the results of the Children’s Colour Trails Test (CCTT), football players demonstrated shorter completion times on both forms compared to the control group; however, these differences were not statistically significant. In conclusion, despite the speed advantage observed in child football players on the Stroop Test TBAG Form, the increased number of errors and corrections suggests a potential imbalance between speed and accuracy. Furthermore, the results of the Children’s Colour Trails Test (CCTT) indicate that although football players exhibited higher processing speed, the lack of statistical significance suggests that the speed advantage may not always be evident across different cognitive tasks. Ultimately, it is proposed that intensive physical activities, such as football, may have positive effects on cognitive processing speed.
Keywords : Bilişsel Performans, Futbol, Nöropsikoloji