Decision-making performance and motor skill consistency in basketball short pass–shot sequences under different levels of mental fatigue: an integrated psychophysiological dynamics analysis

Abstract

Background – Basketball performance depends on the rapid coupling of perceptual decision-making and sequential motor execution. Mental fatigue induced by prolonged cognitive effort may impair both judgment and movement stability, yet its integrated effects on decision-making and motor skill consistency during basketball pass-shot sequences remain insufficiently understood. Methods – 27trained male university basketball players completed low-, moderate-, and high-mental-fatigue conditions in a within-subject crossover design utilizing standardized cognitive tasks. Performance was assessed using a decision-embedded short pass-shot sequence, while synchronized kinematic and psychophysiological data were collected to characterize behavioral output, movement consistency, and autonomic responses. Results – Increasing mental fatigue significantly reduced decision-making accuracy, prolonged reaction time, decreased sequence success rate, and weakened motor skill consistency. Greater fatigue was also associated with higher temporal variability and larger kinetic fluctuations. At the physiological level, these performance declines corresponded with shifts in autonomic markers—specifically, increased electrodermal activity and decreased heart rate variability—which are suggestive of elevated sympathetic arousal and vagal withdrawal. This pattern points toward a coordinated deterioration across cognitive, motor, and autonomic domains. Conclusion – Mental fatigue exerts a progressive negative influence on basketball performance, extending from impaired tactical judgment to less stable motor execution and altered autonomic regulation. These findings highlight potential behavioral and psychophysiological pathways linking cognitive exertion to performance decline, offering practical implications for holistic fatigue monitoring in basketball training.