The Effect of an Above Real Time Decision-Making Intervention on Visual Search Behaviour

The investigation of visual search strategies allows researchers to further understand expertise in sport. This research measured the visual search strategies of six elite Australian Football athletes during the course of a five-week speeded video decision-making training intervention. There were two athletes in each intervention group; normal speed and above real time video, and two athletes in the control group. Athletes were asked to watch a series of video clips of match-day footage and click on the screen where they would place the ball if in possession. Eye movements were collected at the pre-test, third training session, post-test and retention test. Results revealed that following training, regardless of video speed, the fixation duration became longer compared to those who had no video training. This significant finding falls in line with previous research. Furthermore, the above real time training group spent a longer duration fixating on the best option after the retention test, compared to other groups. These results provide a solid base for future research in sport to track changes in eye movements throughout training and learning.