A STUDY OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN FOOTBALL REFEREES

Abstract

Aim. This study aims to identify the relationships between football referees’ experience and job position and their working memory and attention indicators; as well as to establish the correlations between multiple-object tracking ability, working memory capacity, and the speed of attention switching. Materials and methods. The study involved 55 football referees who were assessed for multiple-object tracking accuracy, working memory capacity under time constraints, and the speed of attention switching. Results. The results showed no differences between referees and assistant referees on the cognitive test scores. Correlation analysis revealed no significant relationships between the cognitive test results and the referees’ experience. However, a significant correlation was established between multiple-object tracking ability and both working memory capacity and the speed of attention switching. Conclusion. The results do not support the hypothesis that developing domain-specific skills influences abilities measured in non-domain-specific cognitive paradigms. Therefore, employing ecologically valid paradigms appears to be a promising direction for future research on referees’ cognitive skills. The data indicate that working memory and the speed of attention switching may play a role in multiple-object tracking.