The effects of Effort, Performance, and Expertise on apparent size perception in Golf

Daniel Memmert *, Marissa Blanco ** and Veronique Merkle *

(*) University of Heidelberg, Germany
(**) Yale University, USA

Citation

Memmert, D., Blanco, M., Merkle, V. (2009). The effects of Effort, Performance, and Expertise on apparent size perception in Golf. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 40(2), 270-283.

Abstract

Recent studies have suggested that conscious perception is influenced by effort and performance. The participation in sport activities seems to play a major role in perceiving the objects involved in motor activities. The purpose of Experiment 1 was to replicate the previously noted connection between effort and size perception of the ball in golf. Our results showed that active golfers estimated the size of the golf ball to be bigger than golfers who did not engage in the game of golf. These findings were independent of the level of expertise. Experiment 2 demonstrated that perception of the size of the golf hole could not be modulated by performance efficacy. The results of both experiments are discussed in relation to recent perception models with suggestions for future investigations.

Keywords: Affordances, Golf ball, Golf hole, Physical activity, Visual perception