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Visual-spatial demands in sports: An empirical survey based study
Bhagyashree Singh1, Matthias Weigelt2, Miro Ebert1
1Institute of Sport Science, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053, Regensburg, Germany.
Acta Psychologica
|May 14, 2026
Summary
This study classified sports by visual-spatial demands, finding team sports use extrinsic skills while individual technique sports use intrinsic skills. Sports demands exist on continuous scales, not discrete categories.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Sport Science
- Motor Control
Background:
- Visual-spatial processing is crucial in sports, varying by intrinsic/extrinsic and static/dynamic dimensions.
- Understanding these demands helps in training and performance analysis.
- Existing frameworks may not fully capture the continuous nature of these demands.
Purpose of the Study:
- To classify 20 sports based on perceived visual-spatial demands.
- To investigate the interplay between intrinsic-extrinsic and static-dynamic dimensions in sports.
- To propose an extension to existing visual-spatial frameworks for sports.
Main Methods:
- 250 participants rated 20 sports on intrinsic-extrinsic and static-dynamic scales.
- Data analyzed using hierarchical classification and k-means clustering.
- Sports were mapped onto continuous dimensions of visual-spatial processing.
Main Results:
- Team sports (soccer, basketball) rated higher on extrinsic demands; technique sports (dance, gymnastics) rated higher on intrinsic demands.
- Most sports rated as dynamic, with golf, shooting, and sailing as exceptions.
- Four distinct clusters emerged, reflecting combinations of intrinsic/extrinsic and static/dynamic demands.
Conclusions:
- Visual-spatial demands in sports are best understood as continuous gradients rather than discrete categories.
- The findings support and extend Uttal's framework for visual-spatial processing in sports.
- This dimensional approach can inform cognitive training and sport psychology interventions.
