COGNITION IN ELITE FOOTBALLERS STUDY PART 2

                                                             

• Stage 2 evaluates the current relevant response options in order to select/execute a particular action with response options being heavily narrowed down by the situation assessment from stage 1 which activates only a few responses in the player's procedural long term memory
• Response options are simultaneously activated in specific neural populations within motor-related areas of the brain and compete for action selection with the activation of them not being purely cerebral but also muscle actions/preliminary movements such as a defensive player on the ball with the options being to pass back to the goal keeper, direct a long pass ahead or to make a shorter pass to a supporting defensive player
• The speed of the game demands selection/execution of actions largely occurring at an automatic/non-conscious level with the activation of specific response options depending on previous learning/training
• Response actions are also influenced by recent events in the game such as a successful encounter with an opposition player or a missed shot on goal
• Action selection is determined by an implicit evaluation of the potential risk/benefits related to each potential action including the probability of carrying the action out as intended
• The evaluation is implicit as it depends on excitatory/inhibitory activity (formed by previous learning) in neural networks representing the competing responses rather than a conscious deliberation of choice options
• Risk taking levels depends on personal characteristics such as current confidence levels as well as the overall game situation
• The action selection process is non-conscious where executive functions can influence the outcome such as representing team strategy and other conscious intentions
• The automacity of the response selection varies both between situations/individuals where a player may be trained to systematically carry out a specific action in a particular situation but can also be trained/personally inclined to act in a more flexible/creative manner
• A largely automatic response mode corresponds to a strong activation of just 1 response in stage 2 whereas a more flexible response mode entails significant competition between several response options and typically more feedback interaction with the information gathering processes of stage 1
• The outcome of stage 2 is the full execution of a particular action within the action, implying an expectation of its likely outcome based on previous learning which leads stage 3.