The Effect of Different Environmental Conditions on the Decision-making Performance of Soccer Goal Line Officials

Abstract

Goal line officials (GLO) are exposed to extreme environmental conditions when employed to officiate in professional European soccer cup competitions. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of such environments on GLO decision-making ability. Thirteen male participants were exposed to three conditions: cold (-5°C, 50% relative humidity (RH)); temperate (18°C, 50% RH); and hot (30°C, 50% RH) for 90 min per condition, with a 15 min half-time break after 45 min. Decision-making ability was assessed throughout the 90 min exposure. Core and skin temperatures were recorded throughout. Decision making was improved during exposure to the temperate condition when compared with the cold (mean difference = 12.5%; 95% CI = 1.1%, 23.9%; P = 0.031). Regression analysis indicated that as skin temperature increases so does decision-making ability. Exposure to cold conditions diminished the decision-making ability of GLO.

Time-Dependent Effects of Acute Exercise on University Students’ Cognitive Performance in Temperate and Cold Environments

“…Cognitive performance was improved with elevations in MST and TS after exercise, and was impaired during REST and POST-EX with decreased MST and TS in COLD. Our findings are in line with Palinkas et al (2005) and Mäkinen et al (2006), and are partly in consistent with results from Watkins et al (2014) which indicated significant correlations between MST and cognitive performance in cold (-5°C), temperate (18°C) and hot (30°C) conditions, but failed to find any correlation between TS and cognitive performance. The disassociation in their study is likely to be caused by the experimental protocol, since they administrated a 15-min break period in a thermoneutral environment halfway in the experimental session, which may result in different changes in MST and TS.…”

“…Previous studies conducted in cold and temperate environments also presented a correlation between cognitive performance and subject’s Mean skin temperature (MST) and thermal sensation (TS) when subjects were seated or performing small body movements (Palinkas et al, 2005; Mäkinen et al, 2006; Watkins et al, 2014). Human and animal studies have suggested that significant reduction in body temperature would cause decline in cerebral blood flow and cerebral oxygen consumption (Laptook et al, 2001; Pozos and Danzl, 2001; Li et al, 2009), which would cause cognitive deficits (Raichle et al, 2001).…”

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“…No que refere aos fatores externos, verificou-se que a quantidade de torcida no estádio, sua proximidade do campo e também o local da partida e sua temperatura condicionaram de forma significativa as decisões dos árbitros, implicando em maior quantidade de cartões para a equipe visitante e uma melhor temperatura ambiental para a tomada de decisão mais assertiva (20,25,57) . No que concerne aos fatores internos, verificou-se que os árbitros assistentes possuem uma limitação ótica de projeção da imagem na retina quando a movimentação é feita em diferentes terços do campo, implicando em marcações adequadas ou não do impedimento (34) .…”

Tomada de decisão no contexto esportivo

“…No que refere aos fatores externos, verificou-se que a quantidade de torcida no estádio, sua proximidade do campo e também o local da partida e sua temperatura condicionaram de forma significativa as decisões dos árbitros, implicando em maior quantidade de cartões para a equipe visitante e uma melhor temperatura ambiental para a tomada de decisão mais assertiva (20,25,57) . No que concerne aos fatores internos, verificou-se que os árbitros assistentes possuem uma limitação ótica de projeção da imagem na retina quando a movimentação é feita em diferentes terços do campo, implicando em marcações adequadas ou não do impedimento (34) .…”