CQUniversity - Cognitive Assessment Platform

Research Study Information

DO COGNITION, PERSONALITY AND EMOTIONS PREDICT ATHLETES' DEVELOPMENT AND SPORTS PERFORMANCE?

Researchers: Dr. Alberto Filgueiras

Institution: Central Queensland University, Cairns, QLD (CQUniversity, Australia)

The aim of this research is to investigate any potential relationships between cognition, personality, behavioural regulation and sport skills development. We are going to utilise data from participants to correlate psychological dimensions and sport-related outcomes in the attempt to understand how psychological variables relate to sports.

What will I be asked to do?

We are asking children and teenagers aged 12 to 18 who practice sports regularly to help us.

The baseline data collection will happen once a year and includes:

Five questionnaires (social/personal info, Perceived Stress Scale, Sport Anxiety Scale-2, Motivational Climate Scale, NEO-FF Inventory)
Four cognitive tasks (Digital Span, Corsi Blocks, Stroop Test, 5-point test)

Are there benefits or risks?

Research on personality, cognitive and emotional outcomes has been conducted worldwide with no known negative effects beyond the natural experience of answering questionnaires or focusing on tasks.

Some topics, particularly stress and anxiety, may be sensitive. If you feel any negative effects, support services are available and you can stop participating at any time.

Support: Kids helpline (1800 55 1800, https://kidshelpline.com.au/) or www.childhelplineinternational.org for international contacts.

Should I participate?

It is your choice whether you would like to take part – it's ok to say no. Before you make a decision, you can talk to your parents or carer, a teacher or trusted adult at school.

You are free to change your mind and can stop at any time. Your parents or carer will also need to confirm your participation online.

What will happen with my responses?

All responses will be combined and discussed as a total - you will not be identifiable in any way. We will delete any information that could identify you, like your name, IP or email address.

Data will be completely anonymised and may be used in future research projects and shared with other researchers, but they will not know who you are.

The Cognitive Tests

Stroop Test

The Stroop Test measures cognitive interference and selective attention. Participants respond to arrow directions (left, right, up, down) while ignoring their position on screen. This test measures cognitive flexibility and the ability to suppress automatic responses.

Trail-Making Test

The Trail-Making Test assesses visual attention and task switching. Participants connect a series of dots in numerical order (Part A) or alternating between numbers and letters (Part B). This test measures executive function, specifically the ability to switch between different tasks.

Corsi Blocks Test

The Corsi Blocks Test measures visual-spatial short-term working memory. Participants are shown a series of blocks that light up in a specific sequence, and must then reproduce that sequence. The test increases in difficulty as more blocks are added to the sequence.

Five-Points Test

The Five-Points Test evaluates figural fluency and creativity. Participants are presented with a grid of dots and must create as many unique designs as possible by connecting the dots with straight lines within a time limit.

Data Privacy & Ethics

All data collected through this platform is anonymized and stored securely. Your personal information will not be shared with any third parties. The results of this research may be published in academic journals or presented at conferences, but no identifying information will be included.

This research has been approved by the CQUniversity Human Research Ethics Committee. If you have concerns about how the research is being conducted, you can contact the Ethics Officer at ethics@cqu.edu.au or +61 07 4923 2603.

About This Research