Abstract

Previous research has established that the performance of endurance athletes can be enhanced by the application of differential cognitive strategies. In particular, it has been suggested that different cognitive strategies are associated with better performance depending on the physical skill development of the athlete. This study investigated the effects on performance of training advanced swimmers to adopt either associative or dissociative cognitive strategies during a competitive condition. Twenty-three male and female age group state and national level swimmers swam a 400 metres individual medley time trial to establish a baseline condition. Three days later, after cognitive strategy training, they competed in another 400 metres individual me dley time trial. Analysis revealed that sibjects using associate strategies recorded significantly greater decreases in swimming times than those individuals using a dissociative strategy. This study suggests that advanced athletes can improve their performance through the use of an appropriate cognitive strategy. It also supports previous indications that advanced athletes perform significantly better using associative cognitive strategies. The implications of this study for future research were also addressed. Verf.-Referat