The aim of this research was to detangle the association between attention, working‐memory (focusing on both control and capacity functions), and sport performance across athletic expertise. Specifically, the mediating effect of working‐memory‐control and working‐memory‐capacity on the attention and performance relationship will be investigated, and whether this effect differs across athlete expertise. A sample of 359 athletes (M _age = 18.91 ± SD = 1.01; 54.87% male) with a range of athletic expertise (novice n = 99, amateur n = 92, elite n = 87, and super‐elite n = 81) completed a battery of neurocognitive tasks assessing attention, working‐memory‐control, working‐memory‐capacity, and a cognitively engaging motor task (e.g. basketball free‐throw task). Athletes with more expertise performed better on tasks of attention, working‐memory‐control and working‐memory‐capacity. Results of structural equation modelling indicated a positive association between the cognitive measures and sport performance. Specifically, working‐memory‐control and working‐memory‐capacity mediated the attention and sport performance relationship. Additionally, invariance testing indicated larger effects for those with more athletic expertise. These findings provide a better understanding of how attention and the control and capacity functions of working‐memory interact to predict performance. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Psychological science faces a call to action researching the implications of the corona virus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Rapid reviews have reported that maintaining rigorous research standards is a priority for the field, such as ensuring reliable and valid measurement, when investigating people’s experience of Covid-19 (O’Connor et al., 2020). However, no research to date has validated a measure mental health symptomology for an athlete population. The current research addresses this gap by examining the internal consistency, factor structure, invariance, and convergent validity of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21; Lovibond and Lovibond, 1995) in two athlete samples. Participants completed the DASS-21 and sport-specific measures of mental health such as the Profile of Mood States – Depression subscale (POMS-D), Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2), Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ), and Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ). In sample one (n = 894), results of exploratory structural equation modeling indicated that a three-factor model provided good fit to the data, but a bifactor model provided better fit. Factor loadings indicated minimal misspecification and higher loadings on the general-factor. Invariance testing suggested equivalence across gender, athletic expertise, sport type, and injury status. Further, latent mean differences analyses indicated that females and injured athletes scored higher than male and non-injured athletes on all DASS-21 factors reporting higher mental health symptomology, those with more expertise scored higher on the general-factor and depression and those with less expertise scored higher on anxiety and stress, and no differences between team and individual athletes. In sample two (n = 589), the bifactor structure was replicated. Results largely supported the scales convergent validity with depression predicting POMS-D scores, whereas all three subscales predicted the SAS-2, ABQ, and APSQ scores. Internal consistency was acceptable in both samples. The current work provides initial support for use of the DASS-21 as an operationalisation of mental health symptomology in athletes. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

The quality of decision and assessment of risk are key determinants of successful sport performance. Athletes differ fundamentally in their decision‐making ability according to their athletic expertise level. Moreover, given the influence of emotions on decision‐making, it is likely that a trait reflecting emotional functioning, trait emotional intelligence, may also influence decision‐making. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the respective contribution of athletic expertise and trait emotional intelligence to non‐athletic decision‐making. In total, 269 participants aged between 18 and 26 years with a range of athletic experience i.e. none (n = 71), novice (n = 54), amateur (n = 55), elite (n = 45) and super‐elite (n = 44), completed the Emotional Intelligence Scale and the Cambridge Gambling Task. Regression modelling indicated a significant positive relationship of athletic expertise and trait emotional intelligence with the quality of decision‐making, and a negative relationship with deliberation time and risk‐taking. Cognitive skills transfer may explain the higher decision‐making scores associated with higher athletic expertise, while individuals with higher trait emotional intelligence may anticipate better the emotional consequences linked with a gambling task, which may help individuals make better decisions and take less risks.