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Perceptual Processing Speed, Social Intelligence and Football Refereeing Performance: The Conditional Role of
Pedro Teques1,2,3
1Department of Sports Science, Exercise and Health, School of Life Sciences and Environment, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
Journal of Intelligence
|April 27, 2026
Summary
Perceptual processing speed (PPS) is key for football referee performance. Attentional control (AC) enhances this effect, showing that coordinated cognitive skills, not isolated ones, are vital for success in dynamic sports officiating.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Performance
Background:
- Football refereeing demands rapid, complex decision-making in unpredictable, high-pressure situations.
- Understanding the cognitive and behavioral factors influencing referee performance is crucial for talent development and officiating quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate an integrative cognitive-behavioral model of football refereeing performance.
- To examine the roles of perceptual processing speed (PPS), attentional control (AC), and social intelligence (SI) in predicting referee performance.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-one male football referees completed assessments of PPS, AC, and SI at the season's start.
- Referee performance was evaluated using official end-of-season ratings.
- Mediation and moderation analyses were employed to test the proposed model.
Main Results:
- Perceptual processing speed (PPS) significantly predicted refereeing performance.
- A significant interaction between PPS and attentional control (AC) was found, indicating AC amplifies the positive effect of PPS on performance.
- Social intelligence (SI) showed a direct association with performance but did not mediate or moderate the relationship between PPS and performance.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive resource coordination, particularly the interplay between PPS and AC, is essential for high-level football refereeing.
- An interactive and ecological perspective on applied intelligence is more fitting for understanding real-world sports officiating demands than isolated cognitive abilities.
Keywords:
applied intelligencecognitive controlexpert decision makingreferee performancesport officiatingMore Related Videos
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