ABSTRACT
Studies of cognitive function in the sports of basketball (Allard et al., 1980), hockey (Starkes and Deakin, 1984) and rugby (Nakagava, 1982) have shown that experts perform at a higher cognitive standard than do less experienced participants in their particular discipline. This is due mainly to superior methods of information processing. It is not clear what effect the exercise intensity and duration have on cognitive function during performance in games. This study is concerned with mental performance in a soccer context where little research has been undertaken. Of particular interest was the study of mental fatigue in a soccer-specific simulation. The aim was to examine cognitive function in skilful and low-skilled soccer players during sustained exercise modelled on the exercise intensity and duration of soccer match-play.
