GENDER CHARACTERISTICS OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF ATHLETES IN FREESTYLE WRESTLING

Abstract

In freestyle wrestling as a specific type of sports confrontation, there is an insufficient number of studies that take into account the structural features of competitive activity, bout intensity, time regulations, and tactical variability in the context of gender differences in psychophysiological support. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine gender characteristics of psychophysiological indicators in freestyle wrestlers. The study involved 20 qualified freestyle wrestlers who were divided into two groups: women (n=10; age 18.00±0.77 years) and men (n=10; age 17.82±0.83 years). To assess psychophysiological reactions, a set of specialized software programs for tablet computers running iPadOS was used. Statistical analysis was performed using the licensed software package Statistica 10. The comparative analysis of psychophysiological indicators revealed the presence of gender-specific features in the structure of cognitive functions and complex sensorimotor reactions of qualified wrestlers. Men demonstrated statistically significant advantages in several indicators related to information processing speed, working memory, and responses to sensorimotor stimuli. In particular, their significantly better (p<0.01-0.05) results in certain stages of the “TestSTMemory” test, in left-hand reaction, in the overall score of the “Go/No-Go” test, as well as in the “Size test”, indicate higher efficiency of cognitive-sensorimotor mechanisms ensuring accuracy, speed, and stability of responses. At the same time, no statistically significant (p>0.05) advantages were found in women; however, in certain test indicators they demonstrated higher results, which may suggest a different structure of psychophysiological characteristics. Better values in specific stages of the “Reaction RMO”, “Visuomotor Choice Reaction”, “Spatial Perception”, and “TestSTMemory” tests suggest that women may possess other strengths related to spatial perception, attentional stability, or response selectivity. It was determined that gender differences manifest not only in the magnitude of individual psychophysiological indicators but also in the specificity of cognitive function profiles and sensorimotor reactions. This emphasizes the need to consider athletes’ sex when planning diagnostics, individualizing the training process, and developing cognitive skills in wrestling.