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Perception, Sport and Exercise

Perceptual and cognitive expertise in sport

Do experts have a visual and cognitive advantage? Mark Williams reports.

18 August 2002

Fostered by visions of favourite players and teams in action, the appeal of the study of expertise in sport is fuelled by the partisan nature of spectators and armchair fans. The scientific study of expert performance provides a crucial window for understanding the acquisition of skill in sport, and in other domains. Knowing the essential attributes that distinguish experts from novices allows us to determine which types of practice are most likely to enhance the development of expertise. This allows us to test theoretical models of skill acquisition in mainstream psychology, as well as in the field of sport and exercise psychology.

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