Uncovering the roles of complexity and expertise in memorizing tactical movements from videos with coach's pointing gestures and guided gaze

Abstract

Background Improving the acquisition of complex tactical knowledge through video presentations has attracted considerable attention. Previous research has aimed to facilitate learning by structuring videos including pointing gestures and guided gaze. However, it is debatable whether these cues actually contribute to improved performance in the context of tactical learning for players with varying levels of expertise. Objectives The present study examined the moderating roles of content complexity and expertise level on recall scores, mental effort, and visual attention while watching videos involving coach's pointing gestures and guided gaze, as well as videos with no cues. Methods One hundred sixty novice and expert basketball learners were randomly divided into four groups: (i) simple content + no-cues, (ii) simple content + gesture/gaze, (iii) more complex content + no-cues, and (iv) more complex content + gesture/cues. They were instructed to learn the evolution of a tactical scene described by the coach, rate their mental effort invested during the learning phase, and reproduce the learned tactical scene. Results and conclusions The results showed that regardless of the complexity of the content, novices achieved better recall performance and higher visual attention in the gesture/gaze condition than in the no-cues condition. However, the results showed that experts benefited equally from both conditions when the content was simple, whereas they benefited more from the gesture/gaze condition when the content was more complex. The results showed that the effectiveness of videos involving pointing gestures and guided gaze depends on the content complexity and the expertise level.