Christophe Bertrand and Francine Thullier
Université de Caen, France
Citation
Bertrand, C., Thullier, F. (2009). Effects of player position task complexity in visual exploration behavior in soccer. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 40(2), 306-323.
Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between visual search strategy, player position and task complexity in 1-on-1 defensive soccer situations. Complexity here refers to the difficulty in connecting cues from the opponent’s body. Experienced defenders and attackers and their less experienced counterparts were required to predict the direction of a dribble displayed on a video screen. An eye-tracking system was used to collect visual search data. Our results showed that experienced defenders had better accuracy in prediction. Further differences were observed in visual search exploration between the groups with experienced defenders employing more ocular fixations than the other groups especially on the trunk and the nonleading leg areas. The situation complexity was characterized by an increase in the number of fixations in all groups. Our findings highlighted the fact that the player position in team game is an important factor in perceptual tasks and that visual exploration is related to the processing of complexity.
Keywords: Ocular fixation, Player position, Task complexity, Visual behavior