The Role of Visual and Auditory Information in the Observation and Evaluation of Complex Skills in Gymnastics

Abstract

Observing and evaluating motor skills are two activities that are of high importance especially in technical sports such as gymnastics. The question yet arises how these different components are utilized by people of different sport-specific expertise when they observe and evaluate complex gymnastics skills. The study aimed to investigate the role of visual and auditory information in the observation and evaluation of complex skills in gymnastics as a function of sport-specific expertise. Participants with different forms and amount of gymnastics-specific expertise as well as laypeople with no expertise in gymnastics were asked to estimate the duration of the flight phase in straight back somersaults in different experimental conditions. Results of this study support the notion that utilizing visual and auditory information varies as a function of sport-specific expertise in the observation and evaluation of complex skills in gymnastics. For instance, current gymnasts might be more sensitive to information from sources that are more salient during the performance (i.e., auditory information). It can be concluded that emphasizing auditory information can be one beneficial approach for gymnastics training.