Abstract
An optimal coupling between perception and action is crucial for successful performance in sports. In basketball, for example, a stable fixation onto the basket helps to gain precise visual information of the target to successfully throw a basketball into the basket. In basketball-defense situations, however, opposing players cutting to the basket can be detected by using peripheral vision as less precise information are sufficient to mark this player. Those examples elucidate that to solve a given task foveal and peripheral vision can be used to acquire the necessary information. Following this reasoning, the current state of our framework will be presented that allows one to predict the functionality of one or the other or both depending on the current situation and task demands. In more detail, for tasks that require high motor precision like in far-aiming tasks, empirical evidence suggests that stable foveal fixations facilitate inhibitory processes of alternative action parameterization over movement planning and control. However, more complex situations (i.e., with more than one relevant information source), require peripheral vision to process relevant information by positioning gaze at a functional location which might actually be in free space between the relevant information sources. Based on these elaborations, we will discuss complementarities, the role of visual attention as well as practical implications.
Highlights
An optimal coupling between perception and action is crucial for successful performance in sports
More complex situations, require peripheral vision to process relevant information by positioning gaze at a functional location which might be in free space between the relevant information sources
Foveal vision refers to the small area-rule of thumb: size of your thumbnail hold at sleeve length-at which visual information can be gathered with very high visual acuity
Summary
Because of the retinal structure (i.e., distribution of photoreceptor cells), visual information can be received via foveal and peripheral vision. Since the number of cones decreases with increasing eccentricity-i.e., the angular distance from the fovea-all visual information outside of this foveal area (up to 5◦ of visual angle) are being perceived as increasingly blurred (up to 90% at 40◦ eccentricity) Despite this low visual acuity in peripheral vision, the high amount of rod cells on this retinal area leads to a high motion sensitivity (Strasburger et al, 2011). In order to process information with high visual acuity, humans use body-, head-, and eye-movements to reposition the fovea at specific regions of interest. The latter is further divided into saccades, smooth-pursuit eye movements, vergence, and vestibular eye movements. We will elaborate this line of thought by addressing the functionality of an optimal timing of eye movements as well the use of peripheral vision
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