Temporal Dynamics of Dual-Task Interference in High-Performance Athletes

High-performance athletes operate in demanding environments requiring simultaneous coordination of multiple cognitive and motor tasks. This study developed a novel dual-task protocol combining continuous visuomotor tracking with discrete attentional vigilance to investigate temporal dynamics of dual-task interference in young athletes. Thirty-six participants from interceptive and static sports performed the dual-task paradigm while behavioral performance metrics were continuously recorded. Adapting event-related potential methodology to behavioral data, we computed Event-Related Behavioral Potentials (ERBPs) to characterize time-locked performance changes. Results revealed a significant Dual-Task Effect (DTE) with distinct temporal components: an early perceptual interference phase around 450 ms post-stimulus and a later decision-execution phase extending to 1400 ms. Friedman tests confirmed significant performance differences across temporal windows (\( \chi^2 \)(4) = 85.32, p < 0.001), with performance returning to baseline by 1500 ms. The ERBP analysis enabled quantification of DTE amplitude, latency, and duration—providing novel metrics for continuous assessment of cognitive-motor interference. Target events elicited pronounced performance degradation compared to non-target events (peak difference: 10.5 px, latency difference: 350 ms), indicating sensitivity to decision-making processes beyond motor execution. Exploratory comparisons between sport groups revealed trends suggesting differential interference patterns, though no significant between-group differences emerged. These findings demonstrate that ERBP analysis offers a powerful framework for dissecting temporal dynamics of dual-task performance, with implications for understanding attentional resource allocation in high-demand environments and potential applications in sports training and cognitive assessment.