Selective and sustained attention are key cognitive functions that help athletes regulate competitive stress and maintain performance in fast-paced team sports such as basketball. This study aimed to design and preliminarily evaluate an extended reality (XR) intervention to train selective attention and attentional persistence in adolescent basketball players aged 14–17 years, with a focus on competitive‑like stress conditions. The intervention was grounded in attention and perceptual load theories and implemented in an XR environment that progressively increased visual and auditory task demands in basketball‑specific situations. Content validity and technical feasibility were first assessed by psychologists, basketball coaches and IT specialists (N=9) using structured Likert‑scale questionnaires and qualitative feedback. A pilot study with adolescent players (N=15; complete pre–post data n=13) then examined usability and effects on attention and stress‑related performance using CO₂ tolerance time (CO2TT) and the Determination Test (DT). Experts indicated good to very good content and technical adequacy (psychologists: content M=4.0, SD=0.40; technical M=4.25, SD=0.40; coaches: content M=3.6, SD=0.48; technical M=3.6, SD=0.53), and players rated both dimensions highly (content M=4.6, SD=0.17; technical M=4.2, SD=0.23). CO2TT improved significantly (t(12) = -3.00, p = 0.011, d = -0.83), and DT results showed faster median reaction times and higher reactive stress tolerance (t(12) = -8.44, p < .001, d = -2.34; t(12) = 4.19, p = 0.001, d = 1.16), while competitive anxiety and self‑confidence remained stable. These findings suggest that a brief, game‑like XR protocol is feasible, well‑accepted and potentially effective for enhancing stress‑resilient attentional performance in youth basketball.

Authors:
Agris Liepa, Riga Stradins University, Latvia
Gints Peleckis, Riga Stradins University, Latvia
Austra Skujiņa, Riga Stradins University, Latvia

About the Presenter(s)
Agris Liepa is an assistant professor in Riga Stradins University, interested in virtual/augmented reality for stress‑resilient performance. His current project develops an XR attention‑training intervention for adolescent basketball players.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

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