Cognitive Styles are poor predictors of esports player’s performance in League of Legends

Aim: Research on cognitive correlates of achievement in esports has started only recently. None of these studies focused on cognitive styles as a possible correlate of achievement, or player performance, in esports. Thus, the goal of the present study is to check whether cognitive styles (i.e., field-dependence - field-independence, reflectivity - impulsivity, and rigidity - flexibility of cognitive control) could predict performance in the game League of Legends, operationalised as in-game rank.
Methods and results: In total, 41 participants with different ranks in League of Legends were recruited. Each participant filled out the online form with general information about themselves and their experience in League of Legends. Participants completed three online tests: Stroop test for rigidity - flexibility style, Matching Familiar Figures Test for reflectivity - impulsivity style, and Gottschaldt Figures Test for field-dependence - field-independence style. Only the ingame experience, measured in years (for the whole sample) and in the total number of matches played during two seasons, predicted the in-game rank (measured for 34 participants).
Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that none of the explored cognitive styles; rigidity-flexibility, reflectivity-impulsivity or field dependence-field independence styles are predictors of player's performance in League of Legends and that experience is more important.