A comparative study of athlete interference suppression in open- and closed-task conditions: Evidence from fNIRS

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the behavioral differences in interference inhibition capacity between athletes of open-skill and closed-skill sports, as well as the underlying neural mechanisms, and to elucidate the specific modulatory effects of different sport modalities on interference inhibition function. METHODS: Sixteen elite boxers and 16 elite triple jumpers were recruited as research participants. The Stroop color-word interference paradigm was employed in conjunction with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to record participants' response time, accuracy rate, and changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentration in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during congruent and incongruent task conditions. RESULTS: At the behavioral level, triple jump athletes demonstrated shorter reaction times, higher accuracy, and greater task stability across both task types, with comparable interference suppression efficiency between groups. At the neurological level, boxing athletes exhibited stronger activation in the OFC and VLPFC during the consistent task, reflecting "potential conflict preventive monitoring." During the inconsistent task, triple jump athletes showed significantly higher activation in the DLPFC (Ch10 channel p < 0.01, Ch8 channel p < 0.05), while boxing athletes demonstrated more prominent activation only in the left VLPFC (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Open-skill and closed-skill sports respectively shape distinct profiles of interference inhibition performance and underlying neural mechanisms. Behaviourally, closed-skill athletes demonstrate superior interference inhibition capacity relative to open-skill athletes. Neurologically, open-skill sports foster a neural adaptation strategy characterized by "broad-spectrum monitoring - rapid response", whereas closed-skill sports give rise to a cognitive pattern featured by "precise inhibition - efficient resource allocation".