title: The human Müller-Lyer illusion in goalkeeping.
abstract: We examined whether a goalkeeper can influence a penalty-taker's actions by assuming postures that mimic Müller-Lyer configurations. The results of two studies indicate that (i) goalkeeper posture affects the perception of the goalkeeper's height in a manner consistent with the Müller-Lyer illusion; (ii) this influences penalty-taking accuracy; and (iii) a posture which resembles a wing-out Müller-Lyer configuration results in wider and lower throws.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Performance, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. j_van_der_kamp@fbw.vu.nl
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van der Kamp
authors.forename: Rich S W
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Masters
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009903:Optical Illusions / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012916:Soccer / Q000523:psychology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic