The influence of viewing perspective on decision-making and visual search behaviour in an invasive sport

Abstract

Perceptual-cognitive skill was examined in a film-based task displayed from two different viewing perspectives. Nineteen skilled youth football players observed identical simulations filmed from two different viewing perspectives; a 'player' perspective designed to simulate that experienced by a player in a game, and an 'aerial' perspective filmed from an elevated position overlying the same location on the field. Observation of the aerial perspective resulted in superior decision-making performance, most likely a reflection of the additional specifying information available from this viewpoint. Visual search recordings demonstrated increased time spent observing open space in the aerial perspective, along with more fixations of lesser duration primarily due to an increase in the referential fixation transitions between the player in possession of the ball and other attacking features. For both perspectives, participants fixated on the correct option however in the player view this correct option was chosen less frequently.