Effects of Learning Decision-Making Ability of Ice Hockey Players and Changes in Prefrontal Cortex Activity through Perceptual-Cognitive Skill Training

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in decision-making ability and prefrontal cortex activity through perception-cognitive skill training. To achieve this goal, 12 elite university ice hockey players and 8 ice hockey amateur players were selected. The study consisted of pre-test, perception-cognitive skill training, and post-test, and the task of the study was to conduct perception-cognitive skill training for 7 weeks to select the best pass while watching ice hockey videos. Decision-making ability was analyzed by reaction time and accuracy, and prefrontal cortex activity was analyzed as data through a near-infrared spectroscopy device. The conclusion of the study obtained through this was as follows. First, the decision-making response time was reduced through perceptual-cognitive skills training, and the decision-making accuracy was further improved. Second, through perception-cognitive skills training, the abdominal ventromedial prefrontal cortex area has increased activity, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex area has decreased activity. Third, the activity of the prefrontal cortex due to the learning effect of perception-cognitive skill training was generally higher in the elite group than in the amateur group.