Eye tracking and cardiovascular measurement to assess and improve sporting performance

Abstract

Eye tracking and cardiovascular measurement techniques to improve sporting performance Why are Eye Tracking and Cardiovascular Measures Useful in Sport? One of the difficulties of working in applied sports psychology is the lack of objective data to help understand the psychological components of an athlete's performance (Watson & Coker-Cranney, 2018). This may be one of the primary explanations for the disparity between how important coaches and athletes report psychological elements of elite performance and how much they invest in tracking and supporting such elements (Pain and Harwood, 2004). In this chapter, we discuss two objective psychophysiological measures which provide valuable insight into the psychology of performing under pressure in elite sports, and can address the need for objective data to support athlete performance. Both measureseye tracking and cardiovascular reactivityhave considerable evidence underpinning their efficacy in research environments (e.g. Kredel, Vater, Klostermann, & Hossner, 2017; Moore, Vine, Wilson, & Freeman, 2012). We discuss some practical issues that require consideration when using such measures in applied sports settings and report a case study. Combining these measures enables an in-depth and objective investigation into the complex interplay between visuomotor and physiological factors in the sporting environment. Eye Tracking In dynamic and unpredictable sporting arenas, athletes must be able to identify and process only the most important visual information to support successful decision-making and motor actions (Mann, Williams, Ward, & Janelle, 2007). It is therefore unsurprising that mobile eye-trackers have frequently been applied in sporting environments to understand the perceptual and attentional mechanisms that underpin sporting expertise (see Moran, Campbell, & Ranieri, 2018 for a recent review). Identifying the optimal gaze behaviour for a