An examination of visual search patterns between expert and novice bowlers

• Main Author: Chia, Shannon Jingyi.
• Other Authors: Chow Jia Yi
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/52153
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Recent perceptual-motor studies have revealed distinctive visual search strategies in expert performers. Knowing when and what to look at provides a player with an added advantage over others. Of which, one particular gaze, the quiet eye, defined by Vickers (1996) as the final fixation prior to movement initiation, has emerged as an underlying predictor of both skill and accuracy across various sports. Through the use of an Applied Science Laboratories Mobile Eye tracker, visual search characteristics of seven expert and seven novice ten-pin bowlers were recorded as they completed 30 trials of three single-pin conditions (Easy: 1-pin; Intermediate: 8-pin; Hard: 10-pin). Experts exhibited significantly superior bowling performance and adopted a spot bowling method of aiming, directing a large proportion of their viewing time to the target arrows. Novices on the other hand, allocated visual priority to the ball and general pin direction. Additionally, with increasing complexity from intermediate to hard, experts demonstrated a significant increase in percentage viewing time on the center target arrow while viewing time on the left region surrounding the pin decreased significantly for novices. Secondly, the relationship between expertise, quiet eye duration, and task complexity was examined. Skill-based differences were found, with experts exhibiting significantly longer quiet eye durations than novices. Longer quiet eye durations were also associated with better accuracy. However, no significant differences between quiet eye duration and task complexity were found. Results from this study extend the existing quiet eye literature and offers promise for future perceptual training aimed at enhancing bowling performance.