Acute effects of executive load manipulation on working memory and cognitive flexibility following a dual task in semi-professional football players

Athletes in open-skill sports such as football must constantly process information, adapt to changing situations, and make decisions under pressure. To do so, cognitive abilities such as working memory (WM) and cognitive flexibility (CF) are essential, as they allow players to maintain and update relevant information while adjusting strategies in response to environmental demands. In this study, the acute effects of executive load manipulation on WM and CF are examined in semi-professional football players through a cognitive-motor dual-task protocol. Twenty-eight semi-professional football players participated in this study (mean age: 20.1 ± 0.2 years; football playing experience: 12.6 ± 0.8 years). A within-subject design was used with a single cognitive-motor dual task performed under two experimental conditions: one with a high executive load (HEL; 2-back task) and one with a low executive load (LEL; oddball task). After each condition, the perceived mental load was assessed using the NASA-TLX (NASA Task Load Index) questionnaire, and WM and CF performance were evaluated. Compared with the LEL condition, the HEL condition produced a significantly greater perceived mental load (p < .001; HEL: 61.0 ± 8.1; LEL: 47.9 ± 10.6) and improved performance in WM (p < .001; HEL: 11.7 ± 3.9; LEL: 9.0 ± 3.9) and CF (p = .021; HEL: 14.5 ± 3.7; LEL: 12.1 ± 3.9). These findings suggest that increased cognitive demands may translate into immediate benefits for executive function performance. This study demonstrated acute improvements in WM and CF following a football-specific dual task with a high executive load. Despite increased perceived mental effort, players performed better under the HEL condition. These results support the integration of cognitively demanding dual-task paradigms in sport-specific training as a promising strategy to increase cognitive readiness in highly trained athletes.