The effects of visual realism and visuospatial abilities on memorizing soccer tactics

Abstract

Objectives Dynamic visualizations have become valuable assets in acquiring and improving sports skills. However, their instructional efficiency depends on their design and on learners’ cognitive abilities. Intending to improve learning sessions using these technologies, this study investigates the effects of visual realism and visuospatial abilities (VSA) on the memorization of soccer scenes. Methods Twenty-four soccer beginners first performed a multitask VSA test followed by the memorization and reproduction of three dynamic sequences with different levels of realism. An eye-tracking system was used in the memorization phase to record gaze behavior and identify the involved cognitive processes. Results Findings revealed that increasing visual realism disrupted learners’ memorization performance and visual processing. Moreover, learners with high-VSA were more efficient in memorizing soccer scenes than those with low-VSA and benefited more from reduced visual realism than low-VSA. Learners’ visual processing revealed that high-VSA were more focused on creating a mental representation of the content whereas low-VSA were rather visually guided when memorizing the scene. Conclusions Results imply considering learners’ VSA and adapting presentations’ visual realism to optimize tactical learning among beginners.

Improving Soccer Players’ Memorization of Soccer Tactics: Effects of Visual Realism, Soccer Expertise, and Visuospatial Abilities

“…Indeed, presentations with lower visual realism mainly provided relevant information and served as a “cognitive prosthetic” against engagement in irrelevant details, thus enabling users to focus on creating a more accurate mental model of the tactical scene (Hegarty, 2004). However, the more realistic the presentations were, the more resources were wasted in processing irrelevant details (e.g., players’ physical characteristics) (Ben Mahfoudh et al, 2021; Poplu et al 2008). The negative instructional effect of realistic presentations was also observed in learners’ visual processing.…”

“…However, there remains only limited evidence of the effectiveness of these methods, and the utility of increased visual realism on learning sport skills is still being debated. While some studies have supported the benefits of increased realism (e.g., Hohman et al, 2015; Miles et al, 2012; Put et al, 2014), others have not (e.g., Ben Mahfoudh et al, 2021; Burns et al, 2011; Lucas, 2019; Poplu et al, 2008). Non-sport-related studies investigating learning through visual realism have found that, to be effective, visual realism must be tailored to learners’ cognitive abilities (e.g., Berney et al, 2015; Brucker et al, 2014; Çöltekin et al, 2017).…”

“…Some studies have supported an instructional advantage for realistic dynamic visualizations over schematic presentations since realistic visualizations display three dimensions simultaneously and depict scenes with supplementary cues regarding depth (e.g., an element’s size, light variations, and texture), giving observers detail to enhance their recall (e.g., Hohmann et al, 2015; Put et al, 2014). However, other investigators (e.g., Ben Mahfoudh et al, 2021; Ida et al, 2012; Lucas, 2019) have argued that schematic presentations are equivalent to more realistic ones or may even be more advantageous because they depict fewer irrelevant details and fewer distractions that might interfere with learning the most important information. When memorizing a tactical scene, the goal of the action (e.g., players movements, ball passes) is the most relevant information to retain; adding information, such as players’ physical characteristics (e.g., morphologies, postures), may be unnecessary or even counterproductive (Poplu et al, 2008).…”