The Relevance of General Spatial Anticipation Skills for Basketball Referees
In recent years, research has shown a positive correlation between sport-specific cognitive abilities and the performance of referees in different sports. However, it is still uncertain how much of the expertise exhibited by referees results from acquired sport-specific skills versus pre-existing ge...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/5/2991 |
| _version_ | 1797615796225048576 |
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| author | Robin Schrödter Alessa Schwarting Frowin Fasold Karsten Schul Stefanie Klatt |
| author_facet | Robin Schrödter Alessa Schwarting Frowin Fasold Karsten Schul Stefanie Klatt |
| author_sort | Robin Schrödter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent years, research has shown a positive correlation between sport-specific cognitive abilities and the performance of referees in different sports. However, it is still uncertain how much of the expertise exhibited by referees results from acquired sport-specific skills versus pre-existing general abilities. This study aimed to determine if the relationship between sport-specific abilities and expertise previously observed also applies to general visual abilities. In cooperation with the German basketball federation, basketball referees were recruited for the study, resulting in the final sample of 86 participants who were grouped as elite basketball referees, amateur referees, or novices. These participants completed five tests within the Vienna Test System: time and spatial anticipation, perceptual speed, visual orientation, and spatial working memory. Five separate ANOVAs reported a significant effect of the factor expertise on the performance in spatial anticipation. Post hoc tests revealed that elite referees performed significantly better than amateur referees and novices in spatial anticipation. The superior performance of elite referees in spatial anticipation tasks suggests that their expertise may not be solely limited to acquired skills in basketball but may also be partly attributed to better general spatial anticipatory abilities that might reflect a required skill for refereeing. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:30:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8485c7cbd7574edf980203f0e35c2358 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:30:50Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-8485c7cbd7574edf980203f0e35c23582023-11-17T07:17:49ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-02-01135299110.3390/app13052991The Relevance of General Spatial Anticipation Skills for Basketball RefereesRobin Schrödter0Alessa Schwarting1Frowin Fasold2Karsten Schul3Stefanie Klatt4Institute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, 50933 Cologne, GermanyInstitute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, 50933 Cologne, GermanyInstitute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, 50933 Cologne, GermanyInstitute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, 50933 Cologne, GermanyInstitute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, 50933 Cologne, GermanyIn recent years, research has shown a positive correlation between sport-specific cognitive abilities and the performance of referees in different sports. However, it is still uncertain how much of the expertise exhibited by referees results from acquired sport-specific skills versus pre-existing general abilities. This study aimed to determine if the relationship between sport-specific abilities and expertise previously observed also applies to general visual abilities. In cooperation with the German basketball federation, basketball referees were recruited for the study, resulting in the final sample of 86 participants who were grouped as elite basketball referees, amateur referees, or novices. These participants completed five tests within the Vienna Test System: time and spatial anticipation, perceptual speed, visual orientation, and spatial working memory. Five separate ANOVAs reported a significant effect of the factor expertise on the performance in spatial anticipation. Post hoc tests revealed that elite referees performed significantly better than amateur referees and novices in spatial anticipation. The superior performance of elite referees in spatial anticipation tasks suggests that their expertise may not be solely limited to acquired skills in basketball but may also be partly attributed to better general spatial anticipatory abilities that might reflect a required skill for refereeing.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/5/2991Vienna Test Systemgeneral cognitive abilitiesvisual perceptionteam sportsreferees |
| spellingShingle | Robin Schrödter Alessa Schwarting Frowin Fasold Karsten Schul Stefanie Klatt The Relevance of General Spatial Anticipation Skills for Basketball Referees Applied Sciences Vienna Test System general cognitive abilities visual perception team sports referees |
| title | The Relevance of General Spatial Anticipation Skills for Basketball Referees |
| title_full | The Relevance of General Spatial Anticipation Skills for Basketball Referees |
| title_fullStr | The Relevance of General Spatial Anticipation Skills for Basketball Referees |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Relevance of General Spatial Anticipation Skills for Basketball Referees |
| title_short | The Relevance of General Spatial Anticipation Skills for Basketball Referees |
| title_sort | relevance of general spatial anticipation skills for basketball referees |
| topic | Vienna Test System general cognitive abilities visual perception team sports referees |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/5/2991 |
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