University:
California State University, Northridge
Course:
PSY 409 | Advanced Sport Psychology
Academic year:

2023
Views:

251

Pages:

2
Author:

Jithin J. I.

Adaptive Visual Attention in Sports  Broad Attention for Tactical Creativity: A broad focus fosters the integration of multiple elements, teammates, and opponents into cognitive decision-making processes.  Enhancing Cognitive Decisions: The role of a broad focus in generating tactical decisions and selecting optimal solutions within the decisionmaking process. I. The Influence of Task Demands on Visual Attention     Task-Dependent Visual Orienting: In sports, the orientation of visual attention is contingent upon athletes' task requirements. Versatile Focus Control: The ability to adapt the size of the visual attentional focus plays a pivotal role in performance, particularly in high-speed team and racket sports. Dynamic Attentional Shifting: Athletes must seamlessly transition between a broad focus of attention (e.g., scanning the field to spot open teammates) and a narrow focus (e.g., focusing on the ball during a penalty kick). Crucial Narrow Focus: The significance of a narrow attentional focus for perceiving and recognizing critical details, such as detecting subtle cues in penalty shootouts. II. Applications in Tactical DecisionMaking  Strategic Attentional Shifts: A narrow focus aids in crucial tactical situations like penalty kicks, enabling athletes to discern valuable information from opponents' body language. III. Training for Versatile Attention  Team Sport Emphasis: Athletes in team sports often face concurrent observation demands.  Multifaceted Techniques: Training 1. Game Forms with Broad Attentional Focus: Utilizing game formats requiring athletes to make diverse tactical decisions that encourage creative thinking. 2. Game Forms with Unforeseen Solutions: Implementing exercises that introduce unexpected variables (e.g., neutral players), prompting players to adapt decision-making strategies based on new information. 3. Increased Object Density: Expanding the number of elements/objects for athletes to monitor during training (teammates, opponents, balls). IV. Comprehensive Training Guidance  Furley and Memmert's Framework (2005): Describes sample exercises and offers guidance for systematically enhancing athletes' visual attentional focus.  Focus on Broad Attention: The proposed exercises are designed to cultivate a broader attentional focus, aligning with the adaptable demands of sports. V. Conclusion  Versatile Visual Attention: In sports, the flexibility of visual attentional control is paramount, enabling athletes to excel in dynamic and rapidly changing environments.  Strategic Training: Incorporating exercises that facilitate both narrow and broad attentional focus equips athletes to make optimal decisions and adapt to diverse game scenarios.