Effects of cognitive strategies on ergometer performance of female rowers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of cognitive strategies on the performance of four female rowers. The independent variables were the three strategy conditions. The major dependent variable was the total number of revolutions of the ergometer flywheel per three minutes. The minor dependent variables were the total number of strokes completed per three minutes and the stroke efficiency for each trial. Several other variables were studied from information collected on pretest, posttest, and postexperiment questionnaires. Four replications of a single subject alternating treatments design were used. The responses of the athletes to the utilization of the strategies was very individual. Two of the four subjects performed best under the task specific strategy. Higher stroke rating was linked to superior performances. Three of the subjects had their highest stroke ratings with their most successful condition. Stroke efficiency did not appear to be related to performance. The percentage of time the subject felt she was able to concentrate on the stra.tegy, the degree of discomfort perceived, and the perception of the trial as painful or non-painful all appeared to have no relationship with performance. The subjects generally performed best under their preferred condition, and generally perceived that condition to be the most effective for improving their rowing performance. The number of factors influencing each athlete’s performance varied greatly.