Comparison of visual search features in expert versus novice collegiate females during basketball decision making

This study employs the expert-novice paradigm to examine the visual search characteristics of expert players through basketball-specific decision-making tasks. A total of 48 female college students (24 basketball players and 24 regular college students) were selected as participants. First person video stimuli were used to explore the behavioral indicators and eye movement characteristics of professional basketball players in sports decision-making tasks using the eye tracker. (1) Compared with novice players, expert players demonstrated significantly shorter reaction times, higher decision accuracy, and greater decision-making confidence in the task. (2) Expert players exhibited shorter fixation durations and fewer fixation counts. There was a significant difference in fixation duration and frequency between novice and expert players in the relevant and irrelevant areas of interest, with the expert group showing longer fixation durations and higher fixation frequencies in the relevant areas of interest. The scanning trajectory of the expert group was simpler and more centralized. Expert players demonstrate faster reactions and higher accuracy in sport-related decision-making tasks, exhibiting visual search advantages, shorter fixation durations, fewer fixation counts, and more focused attention allocation in relevant areas of interest.