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Compared to sports performers, relatively little is known about how sports officials make decisions at a perceptual-cognitive level. Thus, this study examined the decision-making accuracy and gaze behaviour of rugby union referees of varying skill levels while reviewing scrum scenarios. Elite ( n = 9) and trainee ( n = 9) referees, as well as experienced players ( n = 9), made decisions while watching ten projected scrum clips and wearing a mobile eye-tracker. Decision-making accuracy and gaze behaviour were recorded for each scrum. The elite and trainee referees made more accurate decisions than the players, and differences in gaze behavior were observed. The elite and trainee referees displayed lower search rates, spent more time fixating central-pack (i.e., front rows, binds, and contact point) and less time fixating outer-pack (e.g., second rows) and non-pack (e.g., other) locations, and exhibited lower entropy than the players. While search rate failed to predict decision-making accuracy, the time spent fixating central-, outer-, and non-pack locations, as well as entropy, were significant predictors. The findings have implications for training perceptual-cognitive skill among sports officials.

Objectives: To develop a valid and reliable video-based decision-making test to examine and monitor the decision-making performance of Australian football umpires., Design: Validation assessments with test re-test reliability., Methods: A video-based decision-making test was developed from a pool of 156 video-based decision-making situations. Australian football umpires (n=56) and players (n=45) participated in two separate phases of analysis. In phase one, players completed a test re-test reliability assessment with a 100 video-clips. Results indicated 24 clips were a reliable measure of decision-making performance. In phase two, umpires completed a test re-test protocol with 80 clips, 24 of which were the reliable clips identified by the player cohort in phase one. These 24 clips provided a measure of construct validity. Face and content validity were assessed by skill acquisition specialists, expert umpire coaches, and umpires., Results: From each of phase one and two of the reliability assessment, 24 clips were found to have a kappa value greater than 0.30, providing a total of 48 reliable video-clips. Construct validity was supported, with the umpire group performing significantly better than the player group on the 24 clips presented to both groups on each testing occasion. Face and content validity were also demonstrated., Conclusions: This investigation demonstrated the ability prospectively to determine reliability and validity of the video-based decision-making test designed specifically for Australian football umpires. Establishing the validity and reliability of the video clips ensures future investigations can accurately and consistently measure the decision-making performance of Australian football umpires., (Copyright © 2013 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Perceptual-cognitive skills are crucial in successfully managing information and decision-making in sports, particularly in high-pressure environments. We examined 16 basketball referees' on-the-court visual search behavior by comparing referees of different experience levels (experienced, n = 8; and novice, n = 8) and different court positions. Participants' visual search behavior was analyzed during 20 live gameplay situations using eye-tracking technology. Dependent variables were the number of eye fixations, mean fixation time, and total fixation time on selected areas of interest; and independent variables were the referees' experience and visual angles (lead and trail referee positions). Experienced referees exhibited significantly lower total fixation time than novice referees (p =.009). Referees in the trail position showed more fixations of shorter duration and a greater focus on the basket than those in the lead position. Our findings suggest that the visual search behavior of basketball referees varies with their court position and experience. These data provide valuable insights into referees' complex visual search patterns in the real-game context, and they highlight the importance of considering viewing angle and experience in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-talk in sport is a valuable self-help tool for regulating one’s emotions, thoughts, and actions. This study aimed to examine whether the use of in-the-moment, strategic self-talk enhances volleyball officials’ efficacy beliefs about their refereeing decisions in match-play scenarios. The relationship between officials’ general self-talk tendencies and commonly perceived refereeing efficacy in recent matches was also investigated. A between-subjects design powered by an online Qualtrics survey was employed to recruit 62 skilled volleyball officials (Mage = 54.69, SD = 13.15 years) who were randomly assigned to strategic self-talk (experimental) or unrelated pangram statements (control) groups. Before assessing two disputed match-play situations presented as video clips, the officials were instructed to verbally reaffirm three assigned statements. Officials were then asked to rate their confidence in the accuracy and fairness of their decisions in each scenario. They also completed the Automatic Self-Talk Questionnaire for Sports and the Referee Self-Efficacy Scales. The Mann-Whitney-U test found no significant variations in decision-making beliefs to the match-play scenarios between the groups. Further analyses revealed significant associations between the study variables with organic self-talk tendencies employed to “psych up” and convey “worry” to exert significant and opposing influences on various aspects of officials’ refereeing self-efficacy. Despite these influences, it is recommended that experienced officials may already have a reservoir of experiential acumen and metacognitive skills, which may necessitate a more protracted engagement with self-talk methods under social evaluative conditions to perceive confidence shifts in volleyball decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision accuracy is a crucial factor in the evaluation of refereeing performance. In sports research, officials' decision-making is frequently assessed outside real games through video-based decision experiments, where they evaluate recorded game situations from a third-person perspective. This study examines whether the inclusion of the first-person perspective influences decision accuracy and certainty. Twenty-four professional officials from the first and second German basketball leagues participated in the study. The officials assessed 50 game situations from both first-person and third-person perspectives, indicating their decisions and certainty levels. The statistical analysis utilises signal detection theory to evaluate the efficacy of the first-person perspective compared to the third-person perspective in identifying rule violations and no-calls in video recordings. The findings indicate that the first-person perspective does not yield superior accuracy in identifying foul calls. However, scenes from the first-person perspective exhibit a significant 9% increase in correctly identifying no-calls. Furthermore, officials report significantly higher levels of decision certainty and comfort when using the first-person perspective. The study suggests that sports officials may benefit from incorporating additional scenes from the first-person perspective into video-based decision training. Future studies should explore whether this additional perspective improves the training effect and translates into enhanced in-game performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This functional magnetic resonance imaging study delves into the impact of experience and pitcher handedness on the pitch‐calling behavior of baseball umpires. Expert and intermediate umpires were asked to make ball/strike calls on videotaped pitches of left‐ and right‐handed pitchers and rate their certainty for the call while undergoing scanning. Behavioral results replicated previous findings that expert umpires were more certain but not more accurate or quicker than intermediate umpires, suggesting that, as sports officials, umpires may learn to project confidence to maintain control of the game. At the neural level, expert umpires exhibited more extensive and pronounced activations within the action observation network, dorsal striatum, and cerebellum. These heightened neural responses were probably associated with their enhanced visual processing abilities for pitching action and ball trajectory, honed over years of officiating. Notably, both expert and intermediate umpires exhibited decreased accuracy when judging pitches from left‐handed pitchers compared to right‐handed ones. These challenges in accuracy corresponded with weaker neural activations in the aforementioned brain regions, implying difficulties in processing specific visual details of the rarely encountered left‐handed pitchers. Moreover, slightly longer reaction times and reduced uncertainty were observed particularly for left‐handed ball pitches, as revealed by lower activation in the right premotor cortex, highlighting issues with predictive processing. In summary, our findings shed light on the influence of pitcher handedness on the pitch‐calling behavior of baseball umpires and extend the current understanding of the perceptual and decision‐making behavior of sports officials. Through our investigation of the perceptual and decision‐making processes of baseball umpires using fMRI, this study has made contributions to the existing research primarily focused on players. The poorer pitch‐calling behavior for left‐ compared to right‐handed pitches across experienced and intermediate umpires was associated with weaker brain activations within the action observation network and cerebellum, implying difficulties in processing specific visual details of the rarely encountered left‐handed pitchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors investigated the impact of video speed on judging the duration of sport performance. In three experiments, they investigated whether the speed of video presentation (slow motion vs. real time) has an influence on the accuracy of time estimation of sporting activities (n1 = 103; n2 = 100; n3 = 106). In all three studies, the time estimation was more accurate in real time than in slow motion, in which time was overestimated. In two studies, the authors initially investigated whether actions in slow motion are perceived to last longer because the distance they cycled or ran is perceived to be longer (n4 = 92; n5 = 106). The results support the hypothesis that the duration of sporting activities is estimated more accurately when they are presented in real time than in slow motion. Sporting officials' judgments that require accurate time estimation may thus be biased when based on slow-motion displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Home advantage (HA) and referee bias are two important phenomena in football (soccer) and are frequently investigated by researchers. This study focused on analyzing HA and referee bias at different league levels. The study included 632 matches played in Turkey's top two leagues during the 2022–2023 season. Both leagues showed statistically significant game outcome differences between home and away teams regarding points, goals, shots, shots on target, passes, accurate passes, and ball possessions, indicating a HA. However, regarding referee bias, this study found that only Level 1 teams significantly differed in penalties and that this difference was not evident after analyzing for Bayes factors. Among Level 2 teams, as there was no statistical difference between home and away teams on any parameter indicating referee bias, and all Bayes factors indices were between 3.92–11.15, the null hypothesis was supported. Therefore, the results revealed a HA at both league levels, but a referee bias was not present in either league. This study emphasized that the HA phenomenon is clear and still evident in elite football and sub-elite leagues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Referees' physical and cognitive performance are important for successful officiating in team sports. There is a lack of research on cognitive performance of referees in general, and none in futsal. Purpose: To assess referees' performance on the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) before and after competitive futsal matches during the Football Association (FA) National Futsal League 2015/16. Methods: Fourteen futsal referees (mean [SD] age 34.3 [10.0] y) from the FA National Futsal group were included. The referees were required to undertake a 10-min PVT 60 min before the match kickoff time (pretest) and immediately after matches (posttest). They also completed the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) questionnaire before the prematch PVT and after the postmatch PVT. Result: Data were analyzed by paired t tests comparing prematch and postmatch results. There was a significant difference in BRUMS parameters vigor (9.5 [2.5] prematch vs 6.3 [2.4] postmatch, P =.001) and fatigue (1.4 [1.3] prematch vs 5.6 [3.1] postmatch, P <.001). However, PVT performance was significantly improved (mean reaction time 248.3 [26.2] ms prematch vs 239.7 [22.4] ms postmatch, P =.023). Conclusions: The present results show, contrary to the authors' initial hypothesis, that psychomotor performance is improved as opposed to decreased after a single match. The postmatch improvement suggests that exercise can acutely enhance cognitive performance, which could be used to inform warm-up practices (eg, optimal duration and intensity) geared toward optimizing referees' cognitive performance during matches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many new video-based technologies (e.g., eye trackers, point-of-view camera) have been integrated into sport referee performance monitoring and training. Mobile 360° video (an omnidirectional video-capture tool affixed to the referee during their performance using a chest harness) provides moving images recorded from a first-person perspective. This case study explored rugby union referees' and referee coaches' engagement with mobile 360° video during a viewing of another referee's performance. Using an other-confrontation interview approach, referees' and referee coaches' cognitive activity (interests, concerns, noticing, and knowledge) while viewing mobile 360° video was elicited and studied. Participants experienced heightened immersion in the situation, as well as enhanced discovery and noticing behavior, and they constructed different types of embodied and corporeal knowledge. Using a rugby union setting, this occurred through enhanced perceptual involvement provided by mobile 360° video for reflection on referee positioning and movement, contextual inference about decisions, and sensitivity to player cues and interactions. This study provides preliminary evidence for the utility and acceptability of mobile 360° video as a pedagogical innovation in referee training to enhance referees' decision making, game management, and reflexivity. Limitations, challenges, and applications of immersive mobile 360° video as a pedagogical tool in rugby union refereeing and other sports are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Referees in sport are required to have specific perceptual-cognitive skills in order to make correct and consistent decisions. The current article explores those skills and describes the literature regarding perceptual-cognitive skills and decision making of referees in association football. First, we describe the importance of perceptual-cognitive skills in sports including pattern recall and recognition, postural cue usage, and the ability to understand situational probabilities and anticipate future events. Second, we discuss the state of the art on perceptual-cognitive skills in officiating including the concept of accurate versus adequate decision making, talent development in refereeing, training opportunities, embodied officiating, and the use of video technology. Finally, we discuss several directions for future research using representative decision-making task designs, considering contextual and psychological information, implementing training studies, and applying a multifactorial and longitudinal approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) on the sensitive decision making of female team sports referees. Twenty-four female referees voluntarily participated in this randomized, double-blind, crossover, and sham-controlled study. In three different sessions, participants received either anodal (a-tDCS; anode (+) over F4, cathode (−) over the supraorbital region (SO)), cathodal (c-tDCS; −F4/+SO), or sham tDCS (sh-tDCS) in a randomized and counterbalanced order. a-tDCS and c-tDCS were applied with 2 mA for 20 min. In sh-tDCS, the current was turned off after 30 s. Before and after tDCS, participants performed the computerized Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and Go/No Go impulsivity (IMP) tests. Only a-tDCS improved IGT and IMP scores from pre to post. The delta (Δ = post–pre) analysis showed a significantly higher ΔIGT in a-tDCS compared to c-tDCS (p = 0.02). The ΔIMP was also significantly higher in a-tDCS compared to sh-tDCS (p = 0.01). Finally, the reaction time decreased significantly more in a-tDCS (p = 0.02) and sh-tDCS (p = 0.03) than in c-tDCS. The results suggest that the a-tDCS improved factors related to sensitive decision making in female team sports referees. a-tDCS might be used as an ergogenic aid to enhance decision performance in female team sports referees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In foul decision-making by football referees, visual search is important for gathering task-specific information to determine whether a foul has occurred. Yet, little is known about the visual search behaviours underpinning excellent on-field decisions. The aim of this study was to examine the on-field visual search behaviour of elite and sub-elite football referees when calling a foul during a match. In doing so, we have also compared the accuracy and gaze behaviour for correct and incorrect calls. Elite and sub-elite referees (elite: N = 5, Mage ± SD = 29.8 ± 4.7yrs, Mexperience ± SD = 14.8 ± 3.7yrs; sub-elite: N = 9, Mage ± SD = 23.1 ± 1.6yrs, Mexperience ± SD = 8.4 ± 1.8yrs) officiated an actual football game while wearing a mobile eye-tracker, with on-field visual search behaviour compared between skill levels when calling a foul (Nelite = 66; Nsub−elite = 92). Results revealed that elite referees relied on a higher search rate (more fixations of shorter duration) compared to sub-elites, but with no differences in where they allocated their gaze, indicating that elites searched faster but did not necessarily direct gaze towards different locations. Correct decisions were associated with higher gaze entropy (i.e. less structure). In relying on more structured gaze patterns when making incorrect decisions, referees may fail to pick-up information specific to the foul situation. Referee development programmes might benefit by challenging the speed of information pickup but by avoiding pre-determined gaze patterns to improve the interpretation of fouls and increase the decision-making performance of referees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In recent years, several publications examined the underlying mechanisms that might have an impact on decision-making processes under time pressure. This study investigated how individual differences in attentional capability relate to decision making in complex dynamic offside events. A total of 24 professional football assistant referees (ARs) performed an offside decision-making task and an attention-demanding task. ARs with higher attentional capability along the horizontal meridian of their attentional focus made fewer mistakes when judging offside situations in football than ARs with lower capability. This implies that being able to rely on high-attentional capabilities in situations requiring conscious perception of multiple processes is likely to be beneficial for the ultimate decision-making performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study examined campus recreation intramural training techniques used to prepare sports officials. The top 10 techniques reported by the sample (n = 52) are presented. Use of National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) training materials was found to have a significant positive relationship with overall official training program satisfaction. Intramural coordinators who self-rated as unsatisfied with training program also rated their program significantly less effective when compared to intramural coordinators who indicated satisfaction with their training program. Further inquiry determined that the responding professionals ranked officials’ traits and abilities similar in importance, with confidence, knowledge, and decision making as most important. There were no differences in the preferred officials’ trait ratings when compared to overall program satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soccer referees have to make quick and accurate decisions while experiencing physical stress (i.e., fatigue) and psychological stress (i.e., pressure from the crowd). Researchers have examined the influence of physical and psychological stress on skilled referees' decision-making performance separately; however, referees usually experience both types of stress simultaneously. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of both physical and psychological stress on skilled and less-skilled soccer referees' decision-making performance. To simulate the physical and psychological stress during a game, 25 referees were asked to make foul decisions while running on a treadmill and/or being exposed to auditory stress. Referees were more physically fatigued in the physical and psychologically stressed in the psychological stress condition. However, this only negatively influenced their decision-making performance in the video test during the submaximal physical stress condition, when compared to the resting condition. The results also indicate that the experienced referees learned to cope with fatigue and psychological stress regarding their cognitive processes. The effects seem to be differentially detrimental, depending on the league level of refereeing, but also whether physical and psychological stress are induced separately. The study protocol could help referees train in a simulated learning environment, besides on-field games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study tests the new Expanded Sport Official's Decision-Making Model (ESODMM), which expands the existing Official's Specific Decision-Making Model by integrating emotion, anticipation, and information-processing into its conceptual framework. To test the role of anticipation and emotion in the ESODMM, 56 basketball officials (32 high school level, 24 NCAA division 1) were assigned to either high (crowd noise and peer evaluation) or low (no crowd noise or peer evaluation) stress conditions and asked to make calls on occluded or non-occluded basketball video clips while wearing eye tracking glasses. MANOVA and ANOVA analyses revealed that officials in the high-stress condition experienced more stress resulting in less accurate decisions than those in the low-stress condition. Additionally, experienced officials made more accurate decisions and goal-directed gaze behaviours than novices did. Moreover, decision-making accuracy was lowest in the occluded trial block. The findings support the important role that emotion, information-processing, and anticipation have in officials' decision-making. Implementing the ESODMM can provide researchers with a comprehensive model to guide their understanding of officials' decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication and player management are integral to effective sport officiating, but most research has focused on physical performance and decision making. The few previous studies of officiating communication tended to use "transmission" conceptualizations of communication (e.g., decision communication, impression management). Eleven officiating-development managers and coaches from 7 peak Australian sport bodies were interviewed to explore conceptualizations of communication and player management, the way officials improve, and the role of the sport bodies in improvement. Four salient themes emerged in conceptualizations of effective officiating communication and player management: personal qualities of the official, 1-way-communication direction giving and impression management, situation monitoring (interpreting player and context), and skilled interaction (adapting communication appropriately for context). The findings highlight a mismatch between (a) interpretive and interactive communication skills perceived to be most important and challenging and (b) the training that is currently provided to officials. There was general commonality in practice and training issues across sport codes. The article makes theoretical contributions to the study of sport-official communication and practical recommendations for improving approaches to training skilled communication and player management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of player gender on referees' decision making was experimentally investigated. In Experiment 1, including 145 male handball referees, we investigated (a) the influence of referees' level of expertise on their decisional biases against women and (b) the referees' gender stereotypes. Results revealed that biases against women were powerful regardless of the referees' level of expertise and that male referees' stereotype toward female players tends to be negative. In Experiment 2, including 115 sport science students, we examined the influence of the participants' gender, motivation to control bias, and time constraints on gender bias. Results indicated that participants' gender had no impact on gender bias and that participants were able to reduce this bias in conditions in which they were motivated to control the bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video-based training is a commonly used method to develop decision-making in athletes and officials. This method typically uses match broadcast footage, yet technological advancements have made 360° Virtual Reality (360°VR) a possible effective tool to investigate. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of both 360°VR and match broadcast footage on improving decision-making. Amateur Australian football umpires (N= 32) participated in a randomised control trial. Participants completed a 5-week training intervention in either a 360°VR, match broadcast or control group. Decision-making was assessed at pre-training, 1-week post-training and 4-week retention points using reliable and valid 360°VR and match broadcast decision-making tests. Participants completed a short questionnaire detailing their perceptions of psychological fidelity, enjoyment, relevance, concentration and effort for each video mode. The 360°VR performed significantly better (p < 0.05) than the control group in the 360°VR retention test. No groups statistically improved over the intervention. Remaining pairwise comparisons for this test and the match broadcast test were not significantly different. 360°VR was rated significantly higher (p < 0.05) than match broadcast footage for psychological fidelity, enjoyment and relevance. 360°VR appears to be a beneficial training tool compared to a control, with stronger engagement from the participants than previously used match broadcast footage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although sports officials are essential in the adjudication of rules during competitions, research into officiating populations is preliminary. This review explores existing research on the effects of sleep loss on decision-making in athlete populations, to gain relevant insight into sports officials and the growing decision- making demands of their role. Specifically, cognitive factors that influence decision-making are identified, and the potential relationship between sleep/wake behaviours and decision-making in sports officials were examined. Particular focus was granted to sleep, specifically sleep restriction in athlete populations, and the hypothesized relationship between sleep/wake behaviours and decision-making in sports officials. Impaired sleep duration and quality has been shown to impair cognitive performance. In the context of sport, impairments to sleep can negatively impact motivation, physical strength, reaction time, and decision-making, all of which are imperative to the role of the sports official. Despite numerous studies demonstrating that sleep loss reduces cognitive performance in athletes, this review revealed that similar research in sports officials has surprisingly yet to be conducted. Since sports officials require a high level of cognitive and physical skills to make correct decisions, an inquiry into the influence of sleep on cognitive performance may encourage research that facilitates improved performance training methods for decision-making in officials. Such findings are important to maintain the standard of officiating and allow for the development of guidelines and strategies to manage sleep and optimize decision-making across various sporting codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the ever-accelerating world of sports, decisions are playing a more critical role. The coaches' decisions determine the outcome of the match. The study aimed to review what factors determine the decisions of sports officials in different sports. Today, many former players choose to stay in the sport and continue their activities as coaches. Nonetheless, there is no unified system for determining the experience of coaches. Various factors influence sports officials in their decisions. These can be both external and internal factors. Take the First heuristic leads to more consistent and better decisions. In terms of coaches and referees, the most studied and examined sport is football. Research in other sports appears in minimal numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this multistudy report was to develop, and then to provide initial validity evidence for measures derived from, the Referee Self-Efficacy Scale. Data were collected from referees (N = 1609) in the United States (n = 978) and Spain (n = 631). In Study 1 (n = 512), a single-group exploratory structural equation model provided evidence for four factors: game knowledge, decision making, pressure, and communication. In Study 2 (n = 1153), multiple-group confirmatory factor analytic models provided evidence for partial factorial invariance by country, level of competition, team gender, and sport refereed. In Study 3 (n = 456), potential sources of referee self-efficacy information combined to account for a moderate or large amount of variance in each dimension of referee selfefficacy with years of referee experience, highest level refereed, physical/mental preparation, and environmental comfort, each exerting at least two statistically significant direct effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the influence of contextual factors and the referees' own motor experience on the quality of their perceptual judgments. The theoretical framework combined the social cognition approach with the embodied cognition, and enabled us to determine whether judgments were biased or not by using a combination of contextual and internal factors. Sixty fully-qualified and aspiring judo referees were tested in a video-based decision-making task in which they had to decide when to stop the ground contact phase. The decision task differed depending on whether one contestant dominated the other or whether they were equal in the prior phase. Results indicated that the referees' motor experience influenced perceptual judgments and interacted with contextual factors, enhancing the need for a combination of social and embodied cognition to explain biases in referees' judgments. Practical considerations were discussed in this paper, such as, whether referees need recent motor experience and how this could influence rules of governing bodies for officiating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research examined in two studies the role of passion for refereeing in referees' affective and cognitive functioning during games. In line with past research on the dualistic model of passion (Vallerand et al., 2003), Study 1 (n1 = 90 and n2 =148) revealed that harmonious passion (HP) for refereeing was positively associated with positive emotions and the experience of flow during games. Conversely, obsessive passion (OP) for refereeing was unrelated to positive emotions and flow, but was positively associated with negative emotional experiences during games. Study 2 (n = 227) examined referees' affective and cognitive functioning after having committed an important mistake. Results showed that HP was negatively associated with maladaptive affective and cognitive functioning after a bad call, whereas OP was positively associated with such maladaptive functioning, including subsequent poor decision making. In addition, in both studies, most referees reported to be passionate toward refereeing. Finally, results from both studies remained the same after controlling for referees' gender, age, years of experience, and types of sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a study on penalty decisions in soccer, Plessner and Betsch (2001) refer to a social cognition framework and demonstrate that referees' initial decisions exert an undesirable impact on later decisions. Mascarenhas, Collins, and Mortimer (2002) criticize this work for an error in the attribution of its findings. In their view, the referees' efforts to manage games by permanently adjusting decisions to the actual flow of a game have been underestimated. In the present experiment, 113 elite (i.e., first and second league) basketball referees made decisions on videotaped contact situations. These were presented either in their original game sequence or as random successions of individual scenes. Results showed that referees in the condition with the removed sequential context awarded more rigorous sanctions than their colleagues. Findings are interpreted as an instance of empirical evidence for what Mascarenhas et al. (2002) have described as game management. It is argued that the idea of game management should be modeled and further explored within the theoretical concept of social information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plessner and Betsch's (2001) investigation into officiating behavior may be representative of a shift from stress-oriented research (Anshel & Weinberg, 1995; Rainey & Winterich, 1995; Stewart & Ellery. 1996) to consideration of decision-making (Craven, 1998; Ford. Gallagher, Lacy, et al., 1999; Oudejans. Verheijen, Bakker, et al., 2000), the primary function of referees in any sport. Commendably, Plessner and Betsch have investigated the most important focus of referee performance, the application of the rules (Anshel, 1995). However, methodological weaknesses, together with a fundamental error in the attribution of causation to the findings, significantly dilute the paper's contribution to extending knowledge in this important area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making is the most important skill for sporting officials, consequently, assessment of this skill is becoming increasingly popular in the literature. There is considerable interest in the use of video-based methods to assess decision-making of officials in controlled, off-field environments. Systematic review of the literature examining video-based testing in sporting officials. Using the keywords "umpire", "referee", "sport officials", "decision making" and "judgement", a comprehensive search was conducted in February 2018 on electronic databases (SPORTDiscus, Medline, PsycInfo, Google Scholar). Inclusion criteria included full text articles from January 2000 to January 2018 published in peer-reviewed journals. Only 'central' or 'field' officials were included in this review (i.e., assistant referees, touch judges were excluded). The search yielded 27 studies. The majority of articles were specific to soccer officials. Overall, video-based testing appears to be a valid measure of decision-making differentiating between performance levels. This review highlighted a high degree of variability among the methods applied, with varied participation groups, clip type used, and influences on decision-making. The reporting of reliability and implementation of transfer tests was rarely incorporated in the research. Video-based testing appears to be a valid measure of decision-making of officials in an off-field, controlled environment. This research area would be advanced through further investigation into sports other than soccer, examination of transfer to match performance testing, reporting the reliability of the test, reporting decisional accuracy rather than solely number of decisions, and investigation of additional video modes. • Video-based testing appears to be a valid measure of decision-making for officials. • Transfer to on-field performance is a key consideration for off-field testing. • Efficacy of new video modes must be assessed for off-field decision-making testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to reveal the effects of positioning on decision-making performance in top-level refereeing in association football. To this end, for all 64 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2014, potential foul-play situations were videometrically analysed in terms of the referee's position relative to the infringement. Contrary to earlier studies, viewing angles were analysed in addition to viewing distances and error rates were considered for not only falsely whistled but also falsely non-whistled events. Moreover, direct logistic regression analysis was applied to detect position-dependent differences. For the total of 1,527 potential foul play situations, an overall low error rate of 6.9% was found. The similar numbers of total whistle (n = 52) and non-whistle errors (n = 54) reflect referees' ability to balance both types of errors. Regarding the overall viewing-distance effect, referees were 2.58 times (95% CI 1.47–4.54) more likely to commit a whistle error at 10–15 m and 5.51 times (95% CI 1.35–22.47) more likely to commit a non-whistle error at 0–5 m, corresponding to the position ranges occurring with the highest (10–15 m: 30.3%) and lowest (0–5 m: 5.8%) frequencies. In contrast, no significant effects of viewing-angle on decision-making accuracy could be revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to translate into Spanish and analyze the reliability and validity of the Referee Self-Ef-ficacy Scale (REFS). The English version of the 13-item REFS, which was created by Myers, Feltz, Guillén and Dithurbide (2012), was analyzed with data obtained from a sample of 490 Spanish referees representing three different team sports. The reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and test-retest. The validity was assessed through Confirmatory Fac- tor Analyses and the correlations between the REFS subscales. The reliability estimated with Cronbach's alpha was (alpha = .85) which was acceptable for the 13-item REFS as well as its subscales ranged .72 to .80. The Confirmatory Factor Anal- yses were performed which supported a 13-item REFS, assessing the four hypothesized dimensions of self-efficacy: game knowledge, decision-making, pressure, and communication. The overall fit of the model was good showing value of .95 for AGFI, .97 for GFI and NNFI, .98 for CFI, and .04 for RMSEA. In conclusion, this version shows good properties in terms of its dimensionality and internal consistency. Guidelines are also provided for future research on its validity as a measure of self-efficacy in a sample of Spanish officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing methods for developing decision-making skill for Australian football umpires separate the physical and perceptual aspects of their performance. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of incorporating video-based decision-making training during high-intensity interval training sessions, specific for Australian football umpires. 20 amateur Australian football umpires volunteered to participate in a randomised control trial. Participants completed an 8-week training intervention in a conditioning only (CON; n=7), combined video-based training and conditioning (COM; n=7), or separated conditioning and video-based training (SEP; n=6) group. Preliminary and post-testing involved a Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (Yo-YoIR1), and 10x300m run test with an Australian football specific video-based decision-making task. Overall, changes in decision-making accuracy following the intervention were unclear between groups. SEP was possibly beneficial compared to COM in Yo-YoIR1 performance, whereas CON was likely beneficial compared to COM in 10x300m sprint performance. There was no additional benefit to completing video-based training, whether combined with, or separate to physical training, suggesting that this was not an optimal training method. For video-based training to be an effective decision-making tool, detailed feedback should be incorporated into training. It is recommended that longer conditioning and video-based training interventions be implemented to determine training effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although handball is a contact sport with a high risk of acute match injuries, their mechanisms have not yet been investigated. We aimed to describe the mechanisms of acute match injuries in elite male handball and evaluate referee performance in injury situations. Based on injury surveillance from the 24th Men′s Handball World Championship 2015 in Qatar, injury situations and the referee decisions were identified on video footage. A total of 55 injury situations and 37 referee decisions were included for analysis. The injury situations were analyzed individually by five handball experts, followed by a consensus meeting. An expert referee panel performed individual blinded evaluation of the referee decisions, followed by an online consensus meeting. Injuries were evenly distributed among attackers (n = 29) and defenders (n = 26). The most frequent injury cause was contact trauma due to a tackle (n = 27). At the time of injury, attackers were most frequently performing a jump shot (n = 9), while defenders were completing a tackle (n = 10). Defenders most commonly tackled the throwing arm (n = 7) or toward the head/face region (n = 6) of injured attackers, while attackers most frequently hit injured defenders with the knee during jump shots (n = 5). Agreement between the referees and the expert panel was weak (kappa: 0.22, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.36), with substantially more lenient rule interpretation by the referees. Our results suggest that stricter refereeing and rule amendments should be considered to prevent acute match injuries in elite handball, especially in relation to tackling episodes when an attacker is performing a jump shot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making is fundamental to officiating in all sports. It is well established in contemporary research that decision-making skills underpin umpire expertise; however, there is little understanding of the cognitive processes that contribute to in-game decision-making. This research implemented an in-depth case study approach, using qualitative methods, to explore the in-game decision-making process of three Australian football umpires. Concurrent and retrospective verbalisation methods were used to obtain verbal reports of the cognitive processes associated with decision-making. Findings identified three salient themes related to both in-game decision-making processes (i.e. decision evaluation, player intention during game-play) and umpire performance (i.e. knowledge of game-play). These themes contributed to the development of decision-making heuristics for Australian football umpires. This study provides initial evidence of the factors that may contribute to and/or affect in-game decision-making processes; however, additional exploration is necessary to further inform training programmes aimed to develop domain-specific decision-making skills and subsequent in-game performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making is a central component of the in-game performance of Australian football umpires; however, current umpire training focuses largely on physiological development with decision-making skills development conducted via explicit lecture-style meetings with limited practice devoted to making actual decisions. Therefore, this study investigated the efficacy of a video-based training programme, aimed to provide a greater amount of contextualised visual experiences without explicit instruction, to improve decision-making skills of umpires. Australian football umpires (n = 52) were recruited from metropolitan and regional Division 1 competitions. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group and classified according to previous umpire game experience (i.e., experienced; less experienced). The intervention group completed a 12-week video-based decision-making training programme, with decision-making performance assessed at pre-training, and 1-week retention and 3-week retention periods. The control group did not complete any video-based training. Results indicated a significant Group (intervention; Control) × Test interaction (F(1, 100) = 3.98;P = 0.02, partialῆ2 = 0.074), with follow-up pairwise comparisons indicating significant within-group differences over time for the intervention group. In addition, decision-making performance of the less experienced umpires in the intervention group significantly improved (F(2, 40) = 5.03,P = 0.01, partialῆ2 = 0.201). Thus, video-based training programmes may be a viable adjunct to current training programmes to hasten decision-making development, especially for less experienced umpires. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of this study was to analyse the variability of decision capacity of field football referees, taking into consideration their deliberate practice. The variation of the decision-making capacity was identified through the number of hits when performing interactive videotest prepared by the Federation Internationale of Football Association. Participated in this study 28 male subjects affiliated to the Football Federation Cearense, 15 in Expert Group (EG: age 34,15±3,84 in years, body mass 80,74±8,71 kg, height 179,38±6,91 cm, BMI 25,04±1,78 kg/m² and in VO2max 44,28±2 em ml.kg.min-1), and 13 in Non Expert Group (NEG: age 28,60±5,06 in years, body mass 72,56±9,31 kg, height 173,20±4,37cm in, BMI 24,14±2,53 kg/m² and in VO2max 44,37±2,78 in ml.kg.min-1). Groups differed significantly only concerning the amount of distance in the first half time as well as the amount of correct post-test hits, wherein the experienced referees were better in both (p<0,05). This study concluded that the referee favours experience in decision-making and advanced age does not affect referee performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives We examined the importance of perceptual-cognitive skills in association football referees. Design and method Using a novel approach, elite (n = 22) and sub-elite referees (n = 21) completed an extended test battery of perceptual-cognitive measures. Participants were assessed using both domain-generic (e.g., sustained attention; working memory) and domain-specific (e.g., pattern recognition) perceptual-cognitive measures within the domain of refereeing. Results A multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences between groups on the following domain-specific perceptual-cognitive skill measures, with elite referees performing significantly better than their sub-elite counterparts: overall decision-making performance; anticipation; and recall capacity. No significant differences were reported between the elite and sub-elite referees on domain-generic perceptual-cognitive skill measures. A stepwise discriminant analysis highlighted that a combination of five predictor variables, including four domain-specific and one domain-generic perceptual-cognitive skill measure, significantly discriminated elite and sub-elite referees, with 90.7% of referees being classified correctly. Conclusions Our findings shed light on the skills underpinning perceptual-cognitive expertise in referees and are consistent with the existing findings on expert outfield players. Implications are discussed with regard to testing and training programs for referees and across other professional domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broader contextual factors that influence concussion management have tended to be overlooked. To address this, the present study used a sociotechnical systems approach to identify perceived responsibilities and applied strategies for three domains of concussion management (i.e., prevention, identification and treatment). Participants were 118 members of the community rugby union system in Australia (69.2% male). Participants from throughout the rugby system (e.g., players, parents, coaches, club management) were asked open-ended questions about their perceived responsibilities and the strategies they use for concussion management. It was found that (a) proper training, technique correction and education were recurrent prevention themes; (b) the majority of key stakeholders felt that they could consistently identify concussion; however, medical aids (medics) were the only system actors who stated a responsibility to use standardised concussion assessment measures and (c) less than one third of the respondents indicated their involvement in treating concussion. This study identifies specific junctures in the system that prevents effective concussion management strategies. A sociotechnical systems approach improves the understanding of concussion prevention, and management beliefs and behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As referee’s decisions are made artificially in traditional table tennis matches, many factors in a match, such as fatigue and subjective tendency, may lead to unjust decision. Based on finite state machine (FSM), this paper presents a model for table tennis referee regulation to substitute manual decisions. In this model, the trajectory of the ball is recorded through a binocular visual system while the complete rules extracted from the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rules are described based on FSM. The final decision for the competition is made based on expert system theory. Simulation result shows that the proposed model has high accuracy, and can be generalised to other similar games such as badminton, volleyball, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impartiality of referee decision making when applying Law 7 of FIFA's Laws of the Game. We investigate decision making relating to the allocation of additional time for 1,515 English Premier League matches from 2009 to 2013. The research finds no evidence of home favoritism and limited evidence of a bias towards "big" clubs, a phenomenon commonly known as Fergie Time. However, an examination of close matches finds Fergie Time is not present, suggesting its ability to alter tight matches is negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The decisions made by officials have a direct bearing on the outcomes of competitive sport contests. In an exploratory study, we examine the interrelationships between the decisions made by elite netball umpires, the potential contextual and environmental influences (e.g., crowd size), and the umpires' dispositional tendencies – specifically, their propensity to deliberate and ruminate on their decisions. Design/Method Filmed footage from 60 England Netball Superleague matches was coded using performance analysis software. We measured the number of decisions made overall, and for home and away teams; league position; competition round; match quarter; and crowd size. Additionally, 10 umpires who officiated in the matches completed the Decision-Specific Reinvestment Scale (DSRS). Results Regression analyses predicted that as home teams' league position improved the number of decisions against away teams increased. A model comprising competition round and average league position of both teams predicted the number of decisions made in matches, but neither variable emerged as a significant predictor. The umpire analyses revealed that greater crowd size was associated with an increase in decisions against away teams. The Decision Rumination factor was strongly negatively related to the number of decisions in Quarters 1 and 3, this relationship was driven by fewer decisions against home teams by umpires who exhibited higher Rumination subscale scores. Conclusions These findings strengthen our understanding of contextual, environmental, and dispositional influences on umpires' decision-making behaviour. The tendency to ruminate upon decisions may explain the changes in decision behaviour in relation to the home team advantage effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:Slow-motion replays of foul play situations are now used in the education and training of sports officials. We investigated the impact of video speed on the decision-making process of association football referees and how this interacted with expertise.Methods:Three different groups of referees, varying in level of expertise, assessed video clips from an in-game perspective. Video clips represented corner kick and open play situations in which a foul occurred or not. For these foul/no foul situations, the referees had to make a technical (no foul; indirect free kick; direct free kick; or penalty kick) and a disciplinary decision (no card; yellow card; or red card), under both slow-motion and real-time viewing conditions. Accuracy scores were determined by comparing participant’s responses with the decisions of an expert panel.Results:Significant differences were observed across groups for foul/no foul situations, suggesting that the experts were able to process the available information more effectively than their less expert colleagues. The accuracy scores for the technical decision were higher in slow motion (67%) compared to a real-time viewing condition (56%), particularly for corner kick situations. No differences were found between real time and slow motion for the disciplinary decision.Conclusions:Slow-motion footage results in higher accuracy scores for complex technical decisions. These findings have implications for the use of slow-motion replays in the decision-making process of referees. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Experiential knowledge of elite National Rugby League (NRL) referees was investigated to determine the key attributes contributing to expert officiating performance. Fourteen current first-grade NRL referees were asked to identify the key attributes they believed contributed to their expert refereeing performance. The modified Delphi method involved a 3-round process of an initial semi-structured interview followed by 2 questionnaires to reach consensus of opinion. The data revealed 25 attributes that were rated as most important that underpin expert NRL refereeing performance. Results illustrate the significance of the cognitive category, with the top 6 ranked attributes all cognitive skills. Of these, the referees ranked decision-making accuracy as the most important attribute, followed by reading the game, communication, game understanding, game management and knowledge of the rules. Player rapport, positioning and teamwork were the top ranked game skill attributes underpinning performance excellence. Expert referees also highlighted a number of psychological attributes (e.g., concentration, composure and mental toughness) that were significant to performance. There were only 2 physiological attributes (fitness, aerobic endurance) that were identified as significant to elite officiating performance. In summary, expert consensus was attained which successfully provided a hierarchy of the most significant attributes of expert NRL refereeing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Visual experience plays an important role in facilitating referee decision-making. Video training can be used to train these perceptual-cognitive skills in discrete scenarios, for instance in foul situations in football, but is less suitable in other instances such as when seeking to make decisions in open-play scenarios due to a lack of representativeness. Recent technological advances enable the use of virtual reality (VR) to replicate game situations in a controlled and realistic manner. It is however not yet known how representative behaviour in VR would be of behaviour on-field in the natural environment. The aim of the study was therefore to examine the degree to which visual behaviour of football referees in virtual reality would reflect behaviour found when adjudicating matches on-field. Sub-elite football referees completed decision-making tasks in three experimental conditions: on-field (in a real match), in virtual reality and when observing video footage. Across the three environments we compared decision-making performance, visual behaviour (including search rate, fixation duration, and head movements) and the user experience of the referees. Results revealed that behaviour in the VR environment was indistinguishable from that on-field. In contrast, visual-motor behaviour when observing video footage was markedly different to that found on-field (and in VR). The results show that visual-motor behaviour in VR is representative of that found on-field and therefore suggests that VR offers promise as a representative training environment for sports officials to improve on-field performance in the natural environment. • Visual-motor behaviours in VR are indistinguishable from on-field behaviours. • Watching videos less representative for on-field visual-motor behaviours. • Football referees positively evaluate training in VR. • VR provides a representative and enjoyable training environment for referees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well reported that expert athletes have refined perceptual-cognitive skills and fixate on more informative areas during representative tasks. These perceptual-cognitive skills are also crucial to performance within the domain of sports officials. We examined the visual scan patterns of elite and sub-elite association football referees while assessing foul play situations. These foul play situations (open play and corner kick situations) were presented on a Tobii T120 Eye Tracking monitor. The elite referees made more accurate decisions and differences in their visual search behaviors were observed. For the open play situations, referees in the elite group spent significantly more time fixating the most informative area of the attacking player (contact zone) and less time fixating the body part that was not involved in the infringement (non-contact zone). Furthermore, the average total fixation time in the contact zone and non-contact zone tended to differ between the elite and sub-elite referees in corner kick situations. In conclusion, elite level referees have learned to discern relevant from less-relevant information in the same way as expert athletes. Findings have implications for the development of perceptual training programs for sport officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The home advantage is one of the best-established and documented phenomenon in sports settings. Conceptual frameworks do not involve, or little, sports official. Nevertheless, we assume that this decision-maker play a determinant role. Thus, the main objective of this paper was to propose a conceptual framework of home advantage including the sports officials and to guide future research on the influence of sports officials on the home advantage phenomenon. Situational, contextual, individual and ethical/economic dimensions compose this new framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making is a key component of an umpire’s in-game performance, with each decision potentially having a direct impact on the result of the game. Additionally, umpires have to be physically fit to ensure they keep up with the gameplay. While research has identified the decision-making demands and running demands of umpires separately, few have explored the relationship between them. The aim of this investigation was to examine the relationship between physical exertion and decision-making performance of Australian football umpires at the sub-elite and junior levels. A total of 18 Australian football umpires (sub-elite,n = 10; juniorn = 8) performed 10 × 300 m runs, with each repetition immediately followed by a video-based decision-making test, then 1 min of recovery. A Mann–WhitneyUassessment indicated a significant difference between the sub-elite and junior level umpires for decision-making accuracy (U = 13.00,z = −2.43,P = 0.016,r = −0.5). However, there was no significant difference in response time (U = 28.00,z = −1.07,P = 0.315,r = −0.25). The sub-elite umpires completed the running efforts in significantly less time than the junior umpires (P < 0.05). Further, there was no significant correlation between decision-making performance and running times for either skill level (P > 0.05). This suggests decision-making performance may not be affected by physical exertion. Therefore, it may be suggested coaches of football umpires allocate more time to the decision-making development of their umpires instead of focusing largely on the physical fitness side, as is currently the trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective We examined whether a short-term, off-field training intervention using different video speed manipulations (i.e., normal speed, 75%, and 125% of normal speed), enhances the offside decision-making performance of international level assistant referees. Moreover, we explored the optimal sequence of various video speed manipulations during training. Design All groups were exposed to a pre- and posttest. During acquisition, the assistant referees assessed 60 offside video simulations during three different training sessions. The order of the video speed conditions varied during the training intervention depending on participant group assignment: increasing speed group (n = 33; 75%–100%–125%); decreasing speed group (n = 33; 125%–100%–75%); and arbitrary speed group (n = 30; 100%–75%–125%). Results First, the decision-making accuracy was higher during the presentation of real time and faster video conditions when compared to the slower video condition. Second, only the decreasing speed group improved their offside decision-making performance from pre- to posttest. Conclusions We conclude that scheduling a decreasing video speed sequence throughout training is more beneficial to enhance learning than increasing or arbitrary speed conditions. Although it is too premature to replace existing training protocols that typically use constant speed videos, the present study offers evidence to suggest that training interventions for elite performers that decreasing the speed of exposure during the learning process may have some benefits over regular speed presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the call to improve health promotion (HP) in sport clubs in the existing literature, little is known about sport clubs' organizational capacity. Grounded within the setting-based framework, this study compares HP activities and guidance among 10 football clubs. At least three grassroots coaches from each club (n = 68) completed the Health Promoting Sports Clubs scale to assess their perceptions of HP; an official (n = 10) was interviewed about club's activities and official's guidance provided to coaches. A concurrent embedded design with quantitative results guiding the qualitative analysis was used. Despite no significant differences regarding coaches' perceptions of HP between the 10 sport clubs, except for the policy dimension, officials' interviews revealed some contradictions. Sport participation was recognized as automatically promoting HP, meaning that sport practice entails many benefits, without questioning the nature of the activities. HP was considered as a secondary aim in regard to sport performance, leading to the lack of written policies, partnerships and sporadic HP activities. Future interventions should consider: (i) the creation of required policy and long-term vision; (ii) the link between HP and sport performance; (iii) the rootedness of sport clubs within their community and (iv) guidelines towards HP from sport federations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]