The Effect of Cognitive Ability on Novices’ Learning of a Field Hockey Motor Skill

Abstract

Elite athletic performance is linked to advanced cognitive functioning, yet cognition’s role in motor skill acquisition among novices remains underexplored. This study examined how cognition influences learning a complex field hockey skill in participants with minimal prior experience. Forty novices (mean age = 20.04 years) completed a hockey ball control task assessed across six timepoints, three before and three after viewing a coaching video of an expert performing the task. Cognitive measures included fluid intelligence (Raven’s Progressive Matrices), crystallized intelligence (Spot-the-Word), working memory (OSpan), perceptual speed (Inspection Time), and psychomotor ability (Fitts’s task). Declarative and procedural knowledge were also recorded. Performance was evaluated using positional and technical scoring systems. Gains through repetition were modeled via linear regression. No overall significant improvement occurred during uncoached repetition. However, crystallized intelligence predicted individual differences in pre-coaching gains while fluid intelligence was positively associated with immediate coaching effects. Post-intervention improvements were predicted by working memory capacity and number of practice attempts. Psychomotor ability predicted gains through repetition both before and after intervention. Distinct cognitive domains support different phases of motor learning. Cognitive profiling may inform talent identification in early skill acquisition.