title: Sequential effects in Olympic synchronized diving scores.
abstract: When judging performances in a sequence, the current score is often influenced by the preceding score. Where athletes are perceived to be similar, a judgement is assimilated towards the previous one. However, if judges focus on the differences between the two athletes, this will result in a contrasting influence on their scores. Here, I investigate sequential effects during synchronized diving events at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Although previous research found assimilation in scores of gymnasts, the current data showed contrast effects-current scores benefited from following a poor performance but were at a disadvantage if they followed a high-scoring performance. One explanation may be that the processes involved in judging synchronized pairs results in a focus on the differences between athletes, producing a contrast effect across dives. That the specific direction of this sequential bias may depend on the particular sport has implications for how judges might approach their roles in a context-dependent manner, as well as how such biases should be addressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology , University of York , York YO10 5DD , UK.
authors.forename: Robin S S
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8339-8832
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Kramer
keywords: assimilation; contrast; diving; judgements in sports; sequential effects