Journal
JOURNAL OF SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY
Volume 31, Issue 6, Pages 761-775Publisher
HUMAN KINETICS PUBL INC
DOI: 10.1123/jsep.31.6.761
Keywords
soccer; football; visual attention; attentional bias; choking
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The current study sought to test the predictions of attentional control theory (ACT) in a sporting environment. Fourteen experienced footballers took penalty kicks under low- and high-threat counterbalanced conditions while wearing a gaze registration system. Fixations to target locations (goalkeeper and goal area) were determined using frame-by-frame analysis. When anxious, footballers made faster first fixations and fixated for significantly longer toward the goalkeeper. This disruption in gaze behavior brought about significant reductions in shooting accuracy, with shots becoming significantly centralized and within the goalkeeper's reach. These findings support the predictions of ACT, as anxious participants were more likely to focus on the threatening goalkeeper, owing to an increased influence of the stimulus-driven attentional control system.
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