Interactive Effect of Dispositional Mindfulness and Type of Attention Instruction on Movement-Specific Reinvestment Components and Basketball Shooting Performance Under Psychological Pressure

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the interactive effects of dispositional mindfulness and type of attention instruction on movement-specific reinvestment components and basketball shooting performance under psychological pressure. Methods and Materials: A total of 80 Bachelor's degree students from the University of Babol, Iraq, were purposefully and conveniently selected and randomly divided into four groups of 20: 1) The high dispositional mindfulness with external focus group (HDMEAG), 2) The high dispositional mindfulness with internal focus group (HDMIAG), 3) The low dispositional mindfulness with external focus group (LDMEAG), 4) The low dispositional mindfulness with internal focus group (LDMIAG). Data were collected using the Brown and Ryan Mindfulness Scale, the movement-specific reinvestment Scale, and the Basketball Shooting Test (mid-range shot). Paired t-tests were used to examine within-group effects, and ANCOVA was used for between-group comparisons. Findings: The results showed that both high and low dispositional mindfulness and internal and external attention improved movement self-consciousness, conscious motor processing, and basketball shooting performance (P≤ 0.05). The findings also indicated that the interaction between high dispositional mindfulness and external attention resulted in the best performance in basketball shooting, movement self-consciousness, and conscious motor processing compared to the other groups (P≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Overall, the combination of high dispositional mindfulness and external attentional focus appears to be the most optimal state for enhanced athletic performance, whereas low dispositional mindfulness coupled with internal attentional focus may lead to performance decrements and heightened engagement in movement-specific reinvestment.