نوع مقاله : مطالعه پژوهشی اصیل
نویسندگان
1 دانشجوی دکتری، گروه روانشناسی، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، ارومیه، ایران.
2 گروه روانشناسی، دانشگاه پیام نور ، تهران، ایران.
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Background and Purpose
It seems that one of the most fundamental functions of the human brain, which is more developed than other species and is particularly important for chess players, is the process of attention (Shahhosseini et al., 2020). Attention refers to the ability to focus on important (task-relevant) information while ignoring distractions (Keller et al., 2019). It is also considered a characteristic related to optimal sports performance for elite athletes THUS In this research, it is important to deal with the level of visual attention of athletes, especially chess players, because visual attention has evolved to enable rapid analysis of important and related areas in the visual scene. This ability to direct selective attention enables rapid interpretation and interaction (Louedec et al., 2019). Players must process and collect large amounts of visual information in a dynamic environment and respond in a timely manner (Jin et al., 2020).Another variable that affects the performance of chess players is response control. The ability to control the response is a type of cognitive control ability that helps achieve behavioral goals by adjusting perception and movement performance in a changing environment and by resolving conflicts (Ke et al., 2021). This variable is important because it enables athletes to think before acting, promoting more deliberate and strategic decision-making (Amini et al., 2022). This can impact the quality and outcomes of chess players, especially those who use hand movements to move the pieces. Given the importance of enhancing these skills for athletic success, numerous treatment and rehabilitation strategies have been introduced, with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) being one of the most notable approaches for improving cognitive functions like visual attention and response control.Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive, safe, and painless treatment that uses direct electrical currents to stimulate specific areas of the brain. During the procedure, a small electrical current (typically between 1 and 2 milliamps) is applied to the target area using either anodal stimulation (positive current) or cathodal stimulation (negative current). This stimulation typically lasts no more than 30 minutes and leads to a significant change in the excitability of neurons (Luna et al., 2020). Given the positive effects of tDCS on the performance of many athletes and the importance of attention and response control in players, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of tDCS on visual attention and response control in chess players.
Materials and Methods
This quasi-experimental study utilized a pre-test, post-test, and control group design. The sample consisted of chess players from the Mahabad Chess Board in 2022. A total of 20 participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group, with 10 participants in each group. The participants were aged between 15 and 35 years (12 boys and 8 girls) and had intermediate to advanced skill levels during the course of the study. Initially, all participants completed the IVA-2 test to record the pre-test results. Following this, the experimental group underwent 15 sessions of transcranial brain stimulation, while the control group received no intervention. Afterward, both groups took the post-test (IVA-2). All stages of the pre-test, post-test, and intervention sessions were conducted at the Rajan Psychotherapy and Counseling Center in Mahabad, with the intervention administered by trained professionals. The inclusion criteria for the study were as follows: being a member of the chess players' board, having an intermediate or advanced skill level in chess, being right-handed, having parental consent (for participants under 18 years old), a willingness to participate in the research, and no history of heart or neck surgeries. Additionally, participants should not have a history of seizures or epilepsy (due to the contraindication of using tDCS for individuals with metal prostheses in the neck or those with seizure conditions). The exclusion criteria included: unwillingness to continue participation and absence from more than two treatment sessions. To adhere to ethical principles, the research participants were fully assured of the confidentiality of their information. In this study, the measurement of attention and response control was conducted using the Integrated Visual and Auditory software (IVA-2). For the implementation of the Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) intervention, an American-made ActiveDose device was used.
Findings
Considering that the statistical analysis method of the present study was covariance analysis, its important assumptions were examined initially. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normality and based on the results, the distribution of scores in the dependent variables was found to be normal. To check the homogeneity of variances, Levene's test was employed, and the assumption of homogeneity of variances was confirmed. Additionally, Box's M test was used to assess the covariance-variance matrix hypothesis, and the significance level in its results was greater than 0.05, indicating that this hypothesis was upheld. Given that the assumptions were met, the use of multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) is valid, and its results are presented in Table 1.
According to the results presented in Table 1, there is a significant difference between the improvement of visual attention and response control in the experimental and control groups after applying the tDCS method. In other words, the tDCS method has had a significant effect on improving visual attention and response control. Considering the Eta squared values, it can be concluded that 76.5% of the changes in visual attention and 45.7% of the changes in impulsive hand movements (response control) were due to the effect of the intervention, specifically the tDCS method.
Conclusion
The present study aimed to investigate the effect of tDCS on visual attention and response control in chess players. The results showed a significant improvement in the performance of athletes from pre-test to post-test in both the experimental and control groups, with the experimental group showing a significantly greater improvement than the control group. In other words, tDCS had a significant effect on enhancing the visual attention and response control of chess players.
Funding
This study received no funding from public, commercial, or nonprofit organizations.
Authors’ Contributions
First author: Data collection and data analysis; Second author: conceptualization and presentation of the idea, authorship of the introduction, discussion and methodology; All authors contributed equally to the writing and revision of the article.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest
کلیدواژهها [English]
Journal of Motor Behavior and Sport Psychology, 1(2), 11-20.
Chiaie, R., Currà, A., Trompetto, C., & Fattapposta, F. (2020). Effects of cerebellar tDCS on inhibitory control: evidence from a go/NoGo task. The Cerebellum, 19, 788-
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