The role of perception in sport

Facts and Figures

When will the seminar take place: Wednesday 26.10.2022; 3 p.m.
Where will the seminar take place: online (please contact info@sportwissenschaft.ch for the passcode)
Who will present at the webinar:

  • Christian Vater, University of Bern

  • Jean-Pierre Bresciani, University of Fribourg

  • Dave Mann, VU Amsterdam

 

Organizers:

  • Christian Vater, University of Bern

  • Jean-Pierre Bresciani, University of Fribourg

Abstract

David Mann: "Gaze when hitting a ball: does the ball move too fast for it to be tracked by the eyes?"

Fast-ball sports such as tennis, baseball and cricket can test the limits of human visual-motor coordination. In these sports, it is often claimed that its not possible to watch the ball throughout its trajectory because it moves too fast to be tracked with the eyes. In this presentation we will show how elite players coordinate the movements of their eyes and head to overcome these challenges, and demonstrate how what we learn can be used to improve the performance of developing players in those sports.   

 

Christian Vater: "The importance of peripheral vision in complex decision making"

Peripheral vision allows us to see objects and movement outside of the direct line of vision. In many everyday life situations – from car driving during rush hour to interacting with a high number of players in team sports –, attention must be distributed to multiple objects. Yet, the role of peripheral vision in decision-making in such complex, dynamic and interactive situations is not well understood. In this presentation, I will present fundamental and applied research on peripheral vision. Specifically, I will summarize potential mechanisms, discuss the role of certain task constraints on the use of foveal and peripheral vision and describe methods to examine the use of peripheral vision.