Gender characteristics of the manifestation of cognitive and sensorimotor functions in young basketball players aged 13-14
Authors:   The Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy, Serhiivna Liudmyla 
Published: May 2024

It is known that success in sports is associated with the ability to quickly and accurately perform a visual search, store a large number of objects in memory, and respond in a timely manner to changes in the situation. The range of data on cognitive-sensorimotor skills of young basketball players does not sufficiently highlight gender characteristics, the consideration of which in the process of mastery formation is an important factor in achieving success in elite sports. Purpose: to find out the gender characteristics of the cognitive-sensorimotor activity support of basketball players aged 13-14 in the annual training cycle. Material and methods: young basketball players aged 13-14 were studied. Studies of sensorimotor and cognitive development were conducted using automated programs. Slices of cognitive and sensorimotor data were carried out at two stages: at the beginning of the annual training cycle and at its end. Results: data on the manifestation of types of thinking in young basketball players of 13-14 years of age of different genders indicated unequal dominance, in boys the dominant type was logical thinking, regardless of the stage of the study, and in girls - operational thinking. At both stages of the study, basketball players showed a higher level of associative and operational thinking than boys, and basketball players had a higher level of logical thinking than girls. At the end of the study, girls were ahead of boys in terms of abstract thinking, but showed the same performance in spatial thinking. Differences in indicators of sensorimotor functions were obtained. Girls demonstrated higher accuracy of right PPO with the difference maintained throughout the training year. Over the course of the annual training cycle, the advantage of boys in the higher accuracy of PPO from the left-top and the advantage of girls in the speed of RV 1-3 at the exit of the object from the right disappeared. At the same time, the advantage of the boys in the speed of the PZMR for the exit of the object from the left-top and the RV 1-3 for the exit of the object from the left was preserved. Conclusions: different profiles of cognitive and sensorimotor development of 13-14-year-old basketball players of different genders during the annual training cycle were established. The group of basketball players was distinguished by an intensive increase in indicators of operational thinking, accuracy of PPO and РВ1-3 on the movement of the object on the right, speed of PZMR from above. The group of female basketball players was distinguished by an increase in the indicators of abstract and spatial thinking, as well as the accuracy of left, top and bottom PRO. According to the accuracy of response to moving objects, right-sided perceptual dominance was established in boys and left-sided - in girls. It was also established that 13-14-year-old basketball players demonstrated the superiority of the influence of the motor component on sensorimotor development and lower possibilities of influence of the cognitive component than girls, 13-14-year-old female basketball players had the advantage of the influence of the cognitive component on sensorimotor development and lower possibilities of the influence of the motor component than boys.