Teamwork and Decision Making among Basketball Referees: The 3PO Principle, Refereeing Level, and Experience.

In this study, the three-person officiating (3PO) principle was employed as an innovative method to examine decision-making (DM) processes among basketball referees. We aimed at exploring whether the ranking, experience, and teamwork among 25 basketball referees could predict accuracy of DM in ambiguous situations taken from basketball games. An analysis of 283 officiating cases taken from 100 filmed games was conducted. The events were then classified by nine experts according to whether the officiating decision was accurate, and which referee (Lead, Centre or Trail) was standing in the main coverage area, as per the 3PO principle, when the decision was made. Our findings indicate that the teamwork (coordination) component was associated with the quality of DM. Of the 283 events, 60 decisions (21%) were not made from the recommended position according to the 3PO principle; 49 of those decisions were incorrect. The findings are discussed from both developmental and instructional perspectives.

Reaction time and working memory in middle-aged gamers and non-gamers.

The purpose of this study was to explore whether asking middle-aged gamers and non-gamers about their video games habits will affect their performance of cognitive-motor tasks. One-hundred and twenty-one participants were randomly assigned to four groups: (a) gamers who were asked about their playing habits prior to the study, (b) gamers who were asked about their playing habits following the study, (c) non-gamers who were asked about their playing habits prior to the study, and (d) non-gamers who were asked about their playing habits following the study. The participants performed three reaction time (RT) tasks and a digit-span memory task. In a task-switching task, gamers had more correct responses when they answered the questionnaire before performing the task compared with after the task. For the non-gamers, the opposite occurred. We conclude that some performance measures of cognitive-motor tasks could have been affected by the timing of the completion of the questionnaire. This finding should be known to researchers as it may lead to biases gaming research.

Providing choice of feedback affects perceived choice but does not affect performance.

Background: Autonomy or choice can lead to improved learning in various educational domains. The purpose of this online study was to examine whether giving participants a choice regarding the frequency of their received feedback (either after each individual trial or after a block of trials) in a computerized alternate task-switching task, will affect their performance. Methods: Participants (n = 148) were randomly assigned to three groups: choice group (n = 49), online feedback group (n = 51), and summary feedback group (n = 48). From those three groups we created two groups: a choice group and a no-choice group (n = 49 in each group). All participants performed eight familiarization trials, a pre-test of 24 trials, five blocks of 24 trials for practice, and a post-test of 24 trials. After completing the task, the participants were asked about their perceived feeling of choice and completed the short form of the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Results: The participants in the choice group had higher perceived choice compared with the participants in the no-choice group (8.41 vs 5.47 out of 10, respectively). However, this higher perceived choice did not materialize into better performance during practice or in the post-test.

The Birthplace Effect in 14-18-Year-Old Athletes Participating in Competitive Individual and Team Sports.

The birthplace (the place where an athlete was born) effect (BPE) has been found to be one of the environmental variables associated with early talent development and the achievement of a high level of proficiency in sport. The purpose of the current study is twofold: (1) to calculate the BPE in 14-18-year-old athletes who participated in individual and team sports and (2) examine how coaches perceived this effect. The participants were 1397 athletes (390 females and 1007 males) who competed in 5 individual (gymnastics, judo, swimming, tennis, and track and field) and 5 team (basketball, soccer, team handball, volleyball, and water polo) sports, as well as 147 coaches who provided their preliminary thoughts about the BPE. Data analyses revealed that although the BPE was not found to be associated with cities of a similar size, it was observed that growing up in cities of small and medium sizes was more beneficial than growing up in towns or cities of other sizes. Most of the coaches believed that certain characteristics of the place or city where the athlete grew up (e.g., proximity to sport facilities) could contribute positively to the athlete's development. We discuss how the BPE data can aid policymakers in developing a sport policy associated with early phases of talent development.

Reaction time and working memory in gamers and non-gamers.

The purpose of this pre-registered study was to examine whether asking gamers and non-gamers about their video game playing habits before or after they performed computerized cognitive-motor tasks affects their performance of those tasks. We recruited 187 participants from an online participants' recruitment platform. Out of those participants, 131 matched our criteria as gamers or non-gamers. They were then divided to two subgroups, and performed a choice-RT task, a Simon task, an alternate task-switching task, and a digit span memory task either before or after answering a video-game playing habits questionnaire. The results showed that gamers who completed a video-games questionnaire before performing the tasks had faster reaction times (RTs) in the Simon task compared with gamers who answered the questionnaire after performing the tasks. In contrast, non-gamers who answered the questionnaire before the task had slower RTs in the Simon task and the alternate task-switching task compared with non-gamers who answered the questionnaire after performing the tasks. The results suggest that answering a video-games questionnaire before the start of a study can lead to a response expectancy effect-positive for gamers and negative for non-gamers. This may bias findings of studies examining video games and the performance of cognitive-motor tasks.

The development of metrics for measuring the level of symmetry in team formation and ball movement flow, and their association with performance.

OBJECTIVE: In the current study, we examined how football players' usage of space and the teams' ball movement flow throughout the match are associated with the quality of performance achieved in competition. METHODS: We constructed two novel metrics that aimed at measuring spatial symmetry and passing flow on a team-wide scope. Our aim was to clarify whether the way players position themselves throughout the match, and the passing patterns they produce, can explain team success. RESULTS: An analysis of all matches played in the 2018-2019 English Premier League season (N = 380) revealed a positive relationship between the teams' spatiotemporal dynamics and team performance. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of our analysis, we discuss the strengths and limitations of the newly-developed metrics, and stress the need for additional studies examining their effectiveness.

Attentional Focus Instructions Do Not Affect Choice Reaction Time.

The majority of the studies on attentional focus have shown that participants who were instructed to focus externally performed better than those who were taught to focus internally. However, in most of these studies the participants performed complex motor tasks. Due to the scarcity of data on the effects of attentional focus specifically on simple motor tasks, our purpose in the current study was to examine these effects on two simple reaction time (RT) tasks. The study was conducted on a cloud-based experimental software. Participants were allocated to three experimental groups: an external focus group (n = 44), an internal focus group (n = 46), and a control group (no attentional instructions; n = 47). The participants performed two tasks: a choice-RT task and a Simon task. Participants in all three groups practiced eight blocks of 20 trials from each task in a counterbalanced order - a total of 180 trials for each task. The sole difference between the three groups was the administered attentional focus instructions. The findings suggest that attentional focus instructions do not affect the performance of a choice-RT task or a Simon-task in a computerized online study. It is possible that the simple RT-based tasks in the current study were not sensitive to the attentional focus manipulation, since in such simple tasks there are not many actions that internal focus can disrupt. Although we asked the participants to what extent they followed the instructions, we cannot say whether their responses represent their actual attentional focus when performing the tasks.

Relative Age Effect in 14- to 18-Year-Old Athletes and Their Initial Approach to This Effect-Has Anything Changed Over the Past 10 Years?

One of the environmental variables associated with early talent development and the achievement of a high level of proficiency in sport is the relative age effect (RAE). The purpose of our study was threefold: (a) to calculate the RAE in young Israeli athletes (ages 14-18 years); (b) to examine how the athletes perceived this effect, if the effect indeed exists; and (c) to compare the RAE findings of this study with those of two previous studies on elite male (Lidor et al., 2010) and female (Lidor et al., 2014) Israeli ballplayers. Participants in the current study were 1,397 athletes (390 females and 1,007 males) who competed in five individual (gymnastics, judo, swimming, tennis, and track and field) and five team (basketball, soccer, team handball, volleyball, and water polo) sports. Data on the RAE, as well as on a number of aspects associated with this effect as perceived by the athletes, were collected via two closed questions. Data analyses showed that the RAE was found to be significant among the male athletes in four sports-swimming, basketball, soccer, and team handball; those who were born early in the year had a higher representation in these sport programs. However, this effect was not found to be significant in the female athletes. Most of the female and male athletes did not think that their birth date influenced their athletic success. However, a large portion of those who were born in the first quarter of the year (Q1) and the second quarter of the year (Q2) among the male athletes felt that they exhibited stronger abilities in the sports program compared to their peers who were born in the third and fourth quarters of the year (Q3 and Q4, respectively). The data of the current study provide additional support for the use of an "open door" approach to accepting children to sport programs by policymakers and coaches in Israel.

Autonomy support and preference-performance dissociation in choice-reaction time tasks.

The purpose of the current study was threefold: (a) to examine the effects of participants having the autonomy to choose the practice order of two reaction time (RT) tasks - a choice-RT task and a Simon task - on performance, (b) to examine whether one order of practice is better than the other, and (c) to examine whether participants might choose a practice order that hinders their performance. The study was conducted online and participants completed the tasks on their own computer. Fifty-nine participants were randomly assigned into three groups: (a) autonomy - participants chose which task they would like to practice first, (b) choice-first - participants practiced the choice-RT task first, and (c) Simon-first - participants practiced the Simon task first. Out of these three groups we created an autonomy group (n = 17) and a no-autonomy (yoked) group (n = 17). All participants performed eight familiarization trials of each task, practiced 160 trials (8 blocks × 20 trials) of each task, and performed a post-test of 20 additional trials of each task after a three-minute rest. The main findings were that (a) participants in the autonomy group had faster RTs compared with participants in the no-autonomy group, (b) performing the choice-RT task first led to faster RTs compared with performing the Simon task first, and (c) nine of the 17 participants in the autonomy group chose to practice the Simon task first. The findings of this study suggest that providing participants with autonomy can lead to improved performance. However, there may be a dissociation between participants' preference of practice order and their performance.

Gaze Behavior of Referees in Sport-A Review.

The purpose of this review was to examine the literature on gaze behavior in referees. A literature search found only 12 relevant studies. Five of those studies were conducted on referees in association football (soccer), three on judges in gymnastics, one on softball umpires, and one each on referees in team handball, rugby, and ice hockey. Seven studies reported differences in gaze behavior between referees of a higher skill level and those of a lower skill level, while four studies found no differences. In addition, five studies reported differences between referees of different skill levels in both gaze behavior and performance, while four studies found differences in performance only. A number of methodological concerns arise from the current review. Among them are the lack of studies conducted in ecologically valid conditions, the lack of studies on peripheral vision, and the lack of data on referees who are working together as teams. Based on this review, we conclude that additional research is needed to clarify the relationships between gaze behavior and performance in refereeing. Practitioners who work with referees should be cautious when adopting gaze training strategies to improve selective attention, since the data on their effectiveness are scarce and sometimes contradictory.

Estimation of injury costs: financial damage of English Premier League teams' underachievement due to injuries.

BACKGROUND: In individual sports, the effect that injuries have on an athlete's performance, success and financial profit is implicit. In contrast, the effect of a single player's injury or one player's absence in team sports is much more difficult to quantify, both from the performance perspective and the financial perspective. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we attempted to estimate the effect of injuries on the performance of football teams from the English Premier League (EPL), and the financial implications derived from this effect. METHODS: Our analysis is based on data regarding game results, injuries and estimations of the players' financial value for the 2012-2013 through the 2016-2017 seasons. RESULTS: We found a statistically significant relationship (r=-0.46, 95% CI -0.6 to -0.28, p=0.001) between the number of days out due to injuries suffered by team members during a season and the place difference between their actual and expected finish in the EPL table (according to overall player value). Moreover, we can interpolate that approximately 136 days out due to injury causes a team the loss of one league point, and that approximately 271 days out due to injury costs a team one place in the table. This interpolation formula is used as a heuristic model, and given the relationship specified above accounts for a significant portion of the variance in league placement (21%), the remaining variance is related to other factors. Calculating the costs of wage bills and prize money, we estimate that an EPL team loses an average of £45 million sterling due to injury-related decrement in performance per season. CONCLUSION: Professional football clubs have a strong economic incentive to invest in injury prevention and rehabilitation programmes.

Preference-Performance Dissociation in Golf Putting.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of providing autonomy to learners and the phenomenon of preference-performance dissociation on a closed, self-paced motor task - putting in golf, when using different placements of a visual aid (a large circle) around a golf hole. Seventy-six participants were assigned to four experimental groups: (a) a visual aid placed behind the hole (V-behind group), (b) a visual aid placed in front of the hole (V-in-front group), (c) a visual aid placed around the hole (V-around group), and (d) a visual aid placed according to the participant's preference (V-pref group). Participants performed five pre-trials, 50 training putts from a distance of 2 m, a retention task (12 putts) from a distance of 2 m, and a transfer task (12 putts) from a distance of 2.5 m. The retention putts and transfer putts were performed 48 h after the training putts. The participants' subjective assessment of the helpfulness of the circle was also measured. It was found that in the retention task, putting consistency was lower in the V-in-front group compared to the V-around and V-pref groups. However, the subjective assessment of the helpfulness of the circle was higher in the V-in-front group. In addition, the low consistency of the V-in-front group was alleviated in the participants in the V-pref group who chose to place the circle in front of the hole. In contrast, the subjective assessment of the helpfulness of the circle was low in the V-in-front group. These findings suggest that while providing autonomy - that is, when the participant is able to choose for him/herself - can improve motor learning, there may be a dissociation between an individual's subjective assessment and the actual helpfulness of a visual aid. This dissociation may be termed preference-performance dissociation, and coaches and instructors who teach closed, self-paced motor skills should be aware of the fact that when providing learners with the autonomy to choose a practice aid in order to improve their skills, some may not choose the aid that is effective for them.

Dealing with Possible Baseline Inequalities Between Experimental Groups - The Case of Motor Learning.

One important concept of experimental design is the random assignment of participants to experimental groups. This randomization process is used to prevent selection bias, as well as to provide a strong basis for a cause-and-effect relationship between the independent variable/s and the dependent variable/s. In small sample sizes, simple randomization may not provide equal groups at baseline for one or more of the variables, and therefore more restricted types of randomization, such as the stratified permuted-block randomization, can be used. A code was written to calculate the probability that simple randomization will not lead to equality between groups at baseline, and then an example of stratified permuted-block randomization was examined. The findings suggest that for certain variables that are commonly measured in experiments in motor learning, there is a relatively high probability that groups will not be equal at baseline after simple randomization. This observation reflects the small sample sizes usually found in the literature on motor learning. However, stratified permuted-block randomization does lead to greater equality among groups. Implications for researchers are discussed, and a flowchart is proposed that will allow researchers to decide whether to use simple or stratified randomization.

Small samples and increased variability - discussing the need for restricted types of randomization in exercise interventions in old age.

BACKGROUND: Randomization provides an equal chance for participants to be allocated to intervention groups, in order to create an equal distribution of all variables at baseline in all groups. However, this is not guaranteed, particularly if the groups are too small, or if the researched groups consist of older adults. The aims of this commentary are to discuss the increased variability in old age which intensifies the risk of baseline inequalities, to elaborate on the need to estimate potential baseline group differences in small samples of older participants in exercise intervention, to discuss alternative procedures for creating equal groups at baseline and to provide specific guidelines for selecting the design of small studies. MAIN BODY: Small groups with increased inter-individual differences may lead to reduced power, thus differences that truly exist may not be detected, or false group differences may appear in the outcome following the treatment. Studies that focused exclusively on older adults have found increased variability in advanced age. Therefore, baseline group differences are more common in older adults as compared to younger persons, and may lead to misinterpretation of the intervention's results. Imbalances can be reduced by covariate-adaptive randomization procedures, such as stratified permuted-block randomization or minimization. Specific guidelines are provided for selecting a randomization procedure by assessing the probability of unequal groups at baseline in typical, widely used functional tests in old age. A calculation of the required number of participants for creating equal groups for these functional tests is provided, and can be used when increasing the number of participants is possible. R-scripts specifically created for assessing the probability of unequal groups, or for determining the sample size assuring equal groups, are recommended. CONCLUSIONS: In exercise interventions assessing older adults, it is recommended to have a sample large enough for creating equal groups. If this is not possible, as is the case quite often in intervention studies in old age, it is recommended to assess the probability of inequality in the study groups and to apply an alternative randomization.

Searching for Judgment Biases Among Elite Basketball Referees.

An attacking basketball player initiating significant physical contact with a defender who has already established a legal and stationary position, should be called with an offensive foul. Offensive foul situations are particularly ambiguous and complex, making the referee's task a difficult one. In such conditions of complexity and constraints of time, the referee is likely to be prone to systematic biases, as has been documented by previous research in other sport settings. We analyzed the referees' decisions in 250 instances of collisions between an attacking player and a defender. In these collisions the defender fell, and potentially an offensive foul could be called. We found no evidence of favoritism granted to the home team, to star players, or to high-reputation teams, or of small players being tackled by significantly larger opponents. The findings suggest that these biases are not very robust, and are sensitive to the context, and that proper training of referees and enhanced awareness can help to alleviate referees' biases.

The Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire (VMIQ-2) - Translation and Reliability of a Hebrew Version.

INTRODUCTION: The Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire 2 (VMIQ-2) assesses individuals' ability to imagine themselves performing 12 simple motor tasks, from three perspectives: internal visual imagery, external visual imagery and kinesthetic imagery. The purpose of the current study was twofold: (a) to describe the translation process of the VMIQ-2 into a Hebrew version, and (b) to test the reliability of the Hebrew version. METHOD: Eighty-eight physical education students completed the questionnaire twice (test, re-test), with two weeks in-between the tests. RESULTS: Correlational analyses on the scores of the questionnaires given in the two phases - test and re-test - yielded two main findings: (a) there were no differences in mean scores of the questionnaires administered in the test phase and re-test phase; (b) significant moderate correlations between the questionnaires' score in the test and re-test phases were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The Hebrew version of the VMIQ-2 was found to be reliable. A number of implications are discussed concerning the use of the questionnaire in the fields of psychiatry and psychology. Address.

The use of step aerobics and the stability ball to improve balance and quality of life in community-dwelling older adults - a randomized exploratory study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the use of step aerobics (SA) and the stability ball (SB) as tools for balance improvement in community-dwelling older adults. METHOD: Forty-two women (age: 72.2±5.8 years) who attended a community day center volunteered to participate in the study. Following the first assessment session, 28 women were assigned randomly to one of two experimental groups (the use of either SA or SB). The other 14 participants, who were engaged in a ceramic class, served as the control group. The study design was based on four assessment sessions and eight weeks of intervention. Assessment included four balance tests: Timed Up and Go (TUG), One-Leg Stand, Functional Reach, and the Performance-Oriented Assessment of Mobility (POMA). Quality of life was assessed by the use of the Short Form-36 Health Survey questionnaire. RESULTS: The TUG and POMA intervention improved significantly (d=.83 and d=.95, respectively) following the SA. In addition, general health perception following both the SA and SB interventions improved significantly relative to the control condition (d=.62 and d=.22, respectively). DISCUSSION: The findings of this study may imply that trainers should consider the inclusion of SA and SB as components of physical activity programs for seniors, aimed at improving balance ability and quality of life.

Nature versus Nurture in Determining Athletic Ability.

This overview provides a general discussion of the roles of nature and nurture in determining human athletic ability. On the nature (genetics) side, a review is provided with emphasis on the historical research and on several areas which are likely to be important for future research, including next-generation sequencing technologies. In addition, a number of well-designed training studies that could possibly reveal the biological mechanism ('cause') behind the association between gene variants and athletic ability are discussed. On the nurture (environment) side, we discuss common environmental variables including deliberate practice, family support, and the birthplace effect, which may be important in becoming an elite athlete. Developmental effects are difficult to disassociate with genetic effects, because the early life environment may have long-lasting effects in adulthood. With this in mind, the fetal programming hypothesis is also briefly reviewed, as fetal programming provides an excellent example of how the environment interacts with genetics. We conclude that the traditional argument of nature versus nurture is no longer relevant, as it has been clearly established that both are important factors in the road to becoming an elite athlete. With the availability of the next-generation genetics (sequencing) techniques, it is hoped that future studies will reveal the relevant genes influencing performance, as well as the interaction between those genes and environmental (nurture) factors.

On-field Performances of Rugby Union Players--A Review.

A review of 16 studies examining on-field performances of rugby union players was conducted. Based on this review, we discuss a number of methodological and measurement concerns, and provide practical implications for practitioners who develop training programs for rugby players. Among the main findings that emerged from our review were (a) rugby is an intermittent sport in nature with many tempo changes, ranging from high-intensity sprints and static exertion to jogging, standing, and walking, and (b) differences in on-field performance among players playing different positions are common, and are especially apparent among forwards, who are involved in more static high-intensity efforts, and backs, who spend more time in high-intensity running. Among the methodological concerns in these studies are the lack of a standardized method of coding movement categories and the lack of data about the opposing team. We suggest that practitioners design training programs, which reflect the specific needs of players playing different positions, and that they use up-to-date technology to accurately assess players' on-field efforts.