title: Cognitive representations and cognitive processing of team-specific tactics in soccer.
abstract: Two core elements for the coordination of different actions in sport are tactical information and knowledge about tactical situations. The current study describes two experiments to learn about the memory structure and the cognitive processing of tactical information. Experiment 1 investigated the storage and structuring of team-specific tactics in humans' long-term memory with regard to different expertise levels. Experiment 2 investigated tactical decision-making skills and the corresponding gaze behavior, in presenting participants the identical match situations in a reaction time task. The results showed that more experienced soccer players, in contrast to less experienced soccer players, possess a functionally organized cognitive representation of team-specific tactics in soccer. Moreover, the more experienced soccer players reacted faster in tactical decisions, because they needed less fixations of similar duration as compared to less experienced soccer players. Combined, these experiments offer evidence that a functionally organized memory structure leads to a reaction time and a perceptual advantage in tactical decision-making in soccer. The discussion emphasizes theoretical and applied implications of the current results of the study.
authors.affiliation: Bielefeld University, Research Group Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics, Bielefeld, Germany; Bielefeld University, Cognitive Interaction Technology-Center of Excellence, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lex
authors.affiliation: Bielefeld University, Research Group Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics, Bielefeld, Germany; Bielefeld University, Cognitive Interaction Technology-Center of Excellence, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Essig
authors.affiliation: Albstadt-Sigmaringen University, Engineering Faculty, Albstadt-Ebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Knoblauch
authors.affiliation: Bielefeld University, Research Group Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics, Bielefeld, Germany; Bielefeld University, Cognitive Interaction Technology-Center of Excellence, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schack
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012916:Soccer / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult