Background Reaction speed represents a fundamental cognitive-motor capacity in sport, yet empirical findings regarding its psychological predictors remain inconsistent, particularly across stages of athletic expertise. This study aimed to investigate the associations of performance level and stress tolerance with latent reaction speed in athletes and to determine whether these associations differ across competitive levels. Results A cross-sectional sample of 304 competitive athletes (amateur, pre-elite, and elite) completed standardized computerized psychophysiological assessments. Latent reaction speed was modeled as a unified cognitive-motor construct indicated by simple and choice reaction speed and motor execution measures. Performance level and stress tolerance were assessed as task-based indices of performance efficiency and cognitive load tolerance under standardized conditions. Structural equation modeling was used to examine predictors of latent reaction speed, followed by multi-group analyses across athlete competitive levels. Both performance level (ß = 0.19, p = 0.004) and stress tolerance (ß = 0.17, p = 0.010) showed small but statistically significant positive associations with latent reaction speed, together explaining 14.2% of its variance. Age was negatively associated with latent reaction speed, while gender effects were small. Multi-group analyses revealed that performance level (ß = 0.28, p < 0.001) and stress tolerance (ß = 0.17, p = 0.028) significantly predicted latent reaction speed only among pre-elite athletes, whereas no significant associations were observed in amateur or elite groups. Conclusions These findings suggest that the contribution of performance-related psychological factors to reaction speed is stage-specific, with relevance during the pre-elite phase of athletic development. The findings indicate statistically significant but modest associations between performance-related psychological factors and latent reaction speed across stages of athletic development. Key Points 1. Performance level and stress tolerance are positively associated with latent reaction speed in athletes, indicating that higher task efficiency and better tolerance to cognitive load are linked to faster cognitive-motor responses. 2. These associations are stage-specific, emerging only in pre-elite athletes, while no significant relationships were observed in amateur or elite groups. 3. Developmentally targeted training approaches may be warranted, as cognitive-motor performance appears most responsive to performance-related psychological factors during the pre-elite phase of athletic development.
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