Institute of Sport Science

Research projects

Performance-enhancing gaze strategies

Optimal perception of a situation requires the functional interaction of foveal and peripheral perception (Klostermann et al., 2020). To this end, we have defined three gaze strategies based on a systematic review: "Foveal Spot", "Gaze Anchor", and "Visual Pivot" (Vater et al., 2020). The usefulness of each strategy depends on the situational constraints. For example, a "Foveal Spot" directed at an information-rich point is functional when information needs to be processed at high resolution, such as in foul decisions in football (Hossner et al., 2019). When time-pressured decisions require attention to be simultaneously distributed across multiple locations, as in dueling sports (Hausegger et al., 2019) or beach volleyball (Schläppi-Lienhard & Hossner, 2015), a "Gaze Anchor" between relevant areas can enhance performance. The final strategy is the "Visual Pivot", which is useful in defensive basketball situations (see video). Here, peripheral perception is used to determine the location of the next saccade, directed to a point where relevant information can be gathered with foveal vision.

Selected Publications:

Hausegger, T., Vater, C. & Hossner, E.-J. (2019). Peripheral vision in martial arts experts: The cost-dependent anchoring of gaze. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 41(3), 137–146. 10.1123/jsep.2018-0091

Hossner, E.-J., Schnyder, U., Schmid, J. & Kredel, R. (2019). The role of viewing distance and viewing angle on referees' decision-making performance during the FIFA World Cup 2014. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(13), 1481–1489. 10.1080/02640414.2019.1570898

Klostermann, A., Vater, C., Kredel, R. & Hossner, E.-J. (2020). Perception and action in Sports. On the functionality of foveal and peripheral Vision. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 1:66. 10.3389/fspor.2019.00066

Schläppi-Lienhard, O. & Hossner, E.-J. (2015). Decision making in beach volleyball defense: Crucial factors derived from interviews with top-level experts. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 16(1), 60–73. 10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.07.005

Vater, C., Williams, A. M. & Hossner, E.-J. (2020). What do we see out of the corner of our eye? The role of visual pivots and gaze anchors in sport. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 13(1), 81–103. 10.1080/1750984X.2019.1582082