Judgment Performance Research Articles

Engaging clinical examiners with structured feedback to enhance assessment practices

Introduction Examiners’ professional judgements of student performance are pivotal to making high-stakes decisions to ensure graduating medical students are competent to practise. Clinicians play a key role in assessment in medical education. They are qualified in their clinical area but may require support to further develop their understanding of assessment practices. However, there are limited studies on providing examiners with structured feedback on their assessment practices for professional development purposes. Methods This study adopts an interpretive paradigm to develop an understanding of clinical examiners’ interpretations of receiving structured feedback and its impacts on enhancing their assessment literacy and practice. Data were collected from 29 interviews with clinical examiners who assessed the final-year medical objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) at one university. Results Inductive thematic analysis of these data revealed that the examiners considered the feedback to be useful with practical functions in facilitating communication, comparisons and self-reflection. However, the examiners’ level of confidence in the appropriateness of their assessment practices and difficulties in interpreting feedback could be barriers to adopting better practices. Conclusion Feedback for examiners needs to be practical, targeted, and relevant to support them making accountable and defensible judgements of student performance.

Physiologic And Subjective Health Benefits Of Milmed Among Racehorses In Training

Two studies were performed to assess the efficacy of the treated yeast, Milmed, for the alleviation of physiologic health problems, mainly ‘common-cold’ and inflammation symptoms, performance improvements among racehorses in training. In Study I (n=8), Time to reduce pulse to 130 and Pulse rate after 15-mins was estimated both before and after the Milmed treatment whereas in Study II (n=15), levels of improvement on a scale of 1-to-10, as well as on judgements of vigour, general health and performance following several weeks of Milmed administration were assessed. It was found that racehorses presenting poor health showed improved physiologic health responses, Time to reduce pulse to 130 and Pulse rate after 15-mins, following Milmed treatment over several weeks (Study I); furthermore, before-to-after Milmed treatment correlations were significant and positive for both the time taken to reduce pulse to 130 and pulse rate after 15 min. In Study II, Milmed treated racehorses showed improvements in both subjective health assessment and performance. The present findings underline the utility of several weeks of Milmed yeast treatment for the alleviation of mainly respiratory conditions among racehorses under the relatively stressful training and racing season. The probiotic, Milmed, ought to be considered a useful nutraceutical agent for treatment of large mammals.

Metacognitive judgements and abilities in patients with affective disorders

ObjectivesCognitive and metacognitive deficits depict important factors in depression, but the relationship between these concepts remains to be elucidated. The present study investigated the difference between patients with depression and controls in metacognitive judgements regarding the domain of attention. Furthermore, the associations between different metacognitive abilities, depressiveness and confidence were investigated, as well as in how far the derived correlates would predict depression.MethodsThirty patients with a major depressive episode and 30 healthy participants were enrolled in the current study. Attention and executive functioning ability were assessed including metacognitive judgements of performance and confidence with regard to the test performance in the Stroop test. To examine further aspects related to (meta-)cognitive abilities, decentering skills, aspects of self-conscious attention, self-assessed intelligence and metacognitive beliefs, judgements and monitoring tendencies were assessed.ResultsAlbeit groups’ metacognitive judgements of performance did not differ, patients indicated to be significantly less confident in their judgements. Depressive patients showed less decentering abilities compared to healthy participants and there was a significant association between decentering and confidence ratings. Moreover, depressiveness was associated with dysfunctional self-consciousness and low cognitive confidence. Finally, lower decentering skills and higher dysfunctional self-attention were the best predictors for depressiveness.ConclusionsResults favor the assumption that patients’ metacognitive abilities regarding the domain of attention are not generally deficient. Rather, the lower confidence in their judgements and dysfunctional (meta-)cognitive abilities, like decentering, metacognitive beliefs and aspects of self-conscious attention and intelligence, seem to mirror the patients’ impairments.

Teacher-assessed grading One teacher's view

The Covid-19 pandemic severely disrupted education at all levels. One consequence was that alternative arrangements had to be made for the 2021 summer public examinations. Exam boards asked staff at schools and colleges to generate, for each subject, teacher-assessed grades for their students. The submitted grades had to reflect 'a fair, reasonable and carefully considered judgement of the student's performance across a range of evidence, on the curriculum content that they have been taught'. 1 A process of standardisation had to be established within each centre, which exam boards would check. Ofqual recommended that evidence to support the teacher-assessed grades (TAGs) which students were given should include answers to past papers and trial exam questions, performance on coursework tasks and school-set tests devised to reflect the exam specifications, and teacher records of a student's capability and performance over the course of study. The following article is based on reflections compiled in June 2021 on the experience of awarding TAGs by a teacher who works in an urban sixth form centre. The teacher's name, and the name of the centre, have been withheld.

Assessment model blending formative and summative assessments using the SOLO taxonomy.

Formative assessment with emphasis on feedback has been linked to developmental purposes of assessment, whilst summative assessment is assumed to focus on judgemental and quality assurance purposes. This dichotomy is questioned but designs to blend formative and summative assessments in constructive ways are rare in health care education. We have designed an assessment model blending formative and summative assessments. In the formative assessment at the end of a course, students' responses to real-life scenarios with questions demanding responses at the relational level of understanding were assessed at three levels of understanding (incorrect, descriptive and relational) modified after the SOLO taxonomy. Students were presented with individual feedback for each response. At the summative assessment of a subsequent course, the students' new responses were assessed underpinning a final judgement of students' performance. The assessment model was justified across three student cohorts. Both formative and summative assessment events of the model provided information about the levels of understanding, unique to each student. A comparison of results from the assessments demonstrated that most responses developed to a higher level of understanding. With the summative assessment, it was possible to make judgements about whether or not individual students passed the pre-set standards. We argue that the current assessment model presents real interdependence between formative and summative assessments and can provide information that meets the needs of students as learners, education institutes and health care organisations. The SOLO taxonomy can be used to emphasise the importance of developing and assessing cognitive complexity.

Judgment performance: individual problems

It is investigated that the peculiarities of criminal responsibility and punishment of minors are its individualization, which is based on the maximum consideration of biological, psychological and social immaturity of minors. That is why the state flexibly reacts to such age peculiarities and establishes special rules of criminal-legal influence on such persons. One of the manifestations of individualization of juvenile punishment is an exhaustive list of types of punishment that can be applied to them and the terms of their execution and serving. Attention is drawn to the impossibility of imposing any of the penalties listed in the sanction due to certain age restrictions, restrictions and property status of the person. Such legal restrictions on the application of juvenile punishment lead to unfavorable conditions compared to adults who have committed the same criminal offenses, as the only possible type of punishment is imprisonment. In other cases, on the contrary, the juvenile is not subject to appropriate measures of criminal law and, accordingly, there is a situation of impunity. Thus, at the present stage of development of criminal law, the regulation of the system of juvenile punishment requires its renewal.
 It is investigated that in the draft Criminal Code of Ukraine the types of punishment for minors are reduced to fines, fines and imprisonment (Article 3.10.3 of the draft Criminal Code). Such a system of punishments is also not without flaws, as a person who has no income or property is sentenced to imprisonment (crimes of 1-3 degrees) (Article 3.1.7 of the draft Criminal Code "Sanctions"). Punishments such as community service, correctional labor and arrest have become part of probation.
 In resolving problematic issues of the application of punishment to minors, it is expedient to turn to international standards in the field of protection of the rights and freedoms of minors. International recommendations are aimed at "restricting or imprisoning a minor only as a last resort and for a minimum period" and "the need for the widest possible application of educational, labor, supervisory, educational, socially oriented, preventive non-criminal measures."

Paediatric and adolescent athletes in Switzerland: age-adapted proposals for pre-participation cardiovascular evaluation.

High-level sports competition is popular among Swiss youth. Even though preparticipation evaluation for competitive athletes is widespread, screening strategies for diseases responsible for sudden death during sport are highly variable. Hence, we sought to develop age-specific preparticipation cardiovascular evaluation (PPCE) proposals for Swiss paediatric and adolescent athletes (under 18 years of age). We recommend that all athletes practising in a squad with a training load of at least 6 hours per week should undergo PPCE based on medical history and physical examination from the age of 12 years on. Prior to 12 years, individual judgement of athletic performance is required. We suggest the inclusion of a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) evaluation for all post-pubertal athletes (or older than 15 years) with analysis in accordance with the International Criteria for ECG Interpretation in Athletes. Echocardiography should not be a first-line screening tool but rather serve for the investigation of abnormalities detected by the above strategies. We recommend regular follow-up examinations, even for those having normal history, physical examination and ECG findings. Athletes with an abnormal history (including family history), physical examination and/or ECG should be further investigated and pathological findings discussed with a paediatric cardiologist. Importantly, the recommendations provided in this document are not intended for use among patients with congenital heart disease who require individualised care according to current guidelines.

Assessing prospective and retrospective metacognitive accuracy following traumatic brain injury remotely across cognitive domains

ABSTRACT The ability to monitor one's behaviour is frequently impaired following TBI, impacting on patients’ rehabilitation. Inaccuracies in judgement or self-reflection of one’s performance provides a useful marker of metacognition. However, metacognition is rarely measured during routine neuropsychology assessments and how it varies across cognitive domains is unclear. A cohort of participants consisting of 111 TBI patients [mean age = 45.32(14.15), female = 29] and 84 controls [mean age = 31.51(12.27), female = 43] was studied. Participants completed cognitive assessments via a bespoke digital platform on their smartphones. Included in the assessment were a prospective evaluation of memory and attention, and retrospective confidence judgements of task performance. Metacognitive accuracy was calculated from the difference between confidence judgement of task performance and actual performance. Prospective judgment of attention and memory was correlated with task performance in these domains for controls but not patients. TBI patients had lower task performance in processing speed, executive functioning and working memory compared to controls, maintaining high confidence, resulting in overestimation of cognitive performance compared to controls. Additional judgments of task performance complement neuropsychological assessments with little additional time–cost. These results have important theoretical and practical implications for evaluation of metacognitive impairment in TBI patients and neurorehabilitation.

'Ticked off'? Can a new outcomes-based postgraduate curriculum utilising programmatic assessment reduce assessment burden in Intensive Care Medicine?

Increasing dissatisfaction with existing methods of assessment in the workplace alongside a national drive towards outcomes-based postgraduate curricula led to a recent overhaul of the way Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) trainees are assessed in the United Kingdom. Programmatic assessment methodology was utilised; the existing 'tick-box' approach using workplace-based assessment to demonstrate competencies was de-emphasised and the expertise of trainers used to assess capability relating to fewer, high-level outcomes related to distinct areas of specialist practice. A thematic analysis was undertaken investigating attitudes from 125 key stakeholders, including trainees and trainers, towards the new assessment strategy in relation to impact on assessment burden and acceptability. This qualitative study suggests increased satisfaction with the transition to an outcomes-based model with capability judged by educational supervisors. However, reflecting frustration relating to current assessment in the workplace, participants felt assessment burden has been significantly reduced. The approach taken was felt to be an improved method for assessing professional practice; there was enthusiasm for this change. However, this research highlights trainee and trainer anxiety regarding how to 'pass' these expert judgement decisions of capability in the real world. Additionally, concerns relating to the impact on subgroups of trainees due to the potential influence of implicit biases on the resultant fewer but 'higher stakes' interrogative judgements became apparent. The move further towards a constructivist paradigm in workplace assessment in ICM reduces assessment burden yet can provoke anxiety amongst trainees and trainers requiring considered implementation. Furthermore, the perception of potential for bias in global judgements of performance requires further exploration.

The relationship between corporate governance and financial reporting transparency

PurposeThe present study aims to examine the relationship between corporate governance factors and financial reporting transparency pre and post of ISIS.Design/methodology/approachA multivariate regression model was used to test the hypotheses for this purpose. The research hypotheses were tested on a sample of 35 companies listed on the Iraqi Stock Exchange from 2012 to 2018 using a multivariate regression model based on panel data technique.FindingsThe results indicate a negative and significant correlation between the board independence, audit committee independence, management team stability and remuneration of the board of directors and financial reporting transparency. In contrast, there is a positive and significant correlation between the board expertise, audit committee expertise and managerial ownership, with financial reporting transparency. Moreover, ISIS has had a direct and significant impact on the correlation between the board of directors’ independence and remuneration with financial reporting transparency. The present study also tested research models using additional methods (such as feasible generalised least squares, ordinary least squares, random effects and T + 1) to obtain better results. The results of these different methods were entirely in line with the main results of the research.Originality/valueThe political and economic instability resulting from the entry of ISIS into Iraq has created severe problems for society’s economic, political, security and performance dimensions. Macroeconomic uncertainty driven by terrorist activities can negatively affect managers’ perceptions of firms’ future performance and result in poor judgments and estimations, significantly impacting business units' financial reporting transparency. Because no study has examined the relationship between corporate governance and financial reporting transparency on the Iraq stock exchange before and after the presence of ISIS, this study examines such a relationship. Although the economic and political situation in Iraq may not be identical to that in other nations, much of the experience in Iraq is anticipated to apply to other countries in the region.

‘I’ll stand by you:’ understanding customers’ moral decoupling processes and supportive behavioral intentions in cases of corporate misconduct

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to explore the dynamics behind consumers’ intention to support a transgressor brand in the form of buycott behavior. To do so, this study investigated the relationships between the concepts of brand identity fusion, brand immunity, moral decoupling, and buycott intention. An online survey (N = 525) was conducted among a nationally representative sample of Australians in October 2018. The results revealed that consumers who report identity fusion with a brand also report being immune to brand transgressions and engage in a moral decoupling process to justify their continued relationship with the brand. Such consumers separate their judgment of brand performance from judgment of brand morality. As the transgression does not change those consumers’ general view of the brand, they are willing to support brand by engaging in buycott behavior. The theoretical and practical implications of this work are discussed (145 words).

Real-time video and force analysis feedback system for learning strength skills on rings in men’s artistic gymnastics

ABSTRACT The importance of objective evaluations has gathered more attention than before for a fairer and better performance judgment in gymnastics. The purpose of this report was to disseminate information about our system and provide an example of data utilisation in high-level competitive training from a practical standpoint. The system combined video and force data, measured with two force transducers at the top of the ring cables, wirelessly transmitted to a computer. The force data synchronised with the video were available in real time or immediately after trials, making it possible to objectively quantify the amount of spotting that a gymnast received as external physical assistances. The simplicity of the setup and several special functions of the system led athletes and coaches spontaneously to use it in their regular training to quantify their skill level. Based on the regular utilisation of the system, the general correspondence between objectively measured values and the subjective perception of spotters was determined. In addition, the data suggested the possibility of technical evaluation of a certain type of strength skill based on force data. The data that are shared in this report should be beneficial in facilitating activities to integrate science into practice in gymnastics.

Leadership Attributes: Its’ Influence on The Five Dimensions of Potentiality Among Faculty Members of An Academic Institution in Cagayan Valley

The points of view that members of the teaching staff bring into the classroom are one of the most important factors that influence the amount of success that may be attained in the many different aspects of the teaching and learning processes. In the study, the descriptive technique was utilized to acquire the necessary information from the respondents. This was accomplished through the use of surveys and questionnaires. According to the findings of the study, it is evident that the members of the faculty have the qualities, traits, and abilities of leadership that project their executive ability as well as their skills and competencies to influence other people. These qualities, traits, and abilities of leadership are referred to collectively as leadership competencies. The respondents have a powerful ability to influence the growth of their students into citizens who are more interested in their communities and more responsible for their actions as a result of the role modeling that they provide. There is a significant link between the intellectual and emotional development of a faculty and their capacity for clear and effective communication. The degree to which a person is adept at interacting with others is a significant factor in determining their people management skills. The more the faculty goes out of their way to please, ethers, and research the wants of other people, the more praiseworthy he or she is in terms of devising methods to project his or her managerial skills. In other words, the more the faculty goes above and beyond, the more laudable he or she is. In order for the respondents to realize their full potential, they need to guarantee that they keep the high degree of leadership qualities they now possess. References Agustin, C. P. (2019). The teaching behavioral attitudes of the faculty members of college of business, entrepreneurship and accountancy: A comparative Students evaluation. International Journal of Advanced Research in Management and Social Sciences. 8 (3), 132-170 Agustin, C.P. & Lagundi R.F. N. ( 2019) Classroom teaching Management and Evaluative techniques of the Instructional Staff of business, entrepreneurship and accountancy. International Journal of Advance Research in Management and Social Sciences.8 (3), 171-196. Ahmed, K.Z. and Bakar, R.A. (2013).The association between training and organizational commitment among white-collar workers in Malaysia. International Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 166-185. Allen DG, Shore LM, Griffeth RW (2013). The role of perceived organizational support and supportive human resource practices in the turnover process. J. Mgt. 29(1): 99-103. Allen, T. D., & Rush, M. C. (2012). The effects of organizational citizenship behavior on performance judgments: A field study and a laboratory experiment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(2), 247–260 Allen, D. G., Shore, L. M., & Griffith, R. W. (2013). The role of perceived organizational support and supportive human resource practices in the turnover process. Journal of Management, 29(1), 99-118. Allen, N. J., & Meyer, J. P. (2011). Affective, Continuance, and Normative Commitment to the Organization: An Examination of Construct Validity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 49(3),252-276. Buchanan, B., II. (2014). Building organizational commitment: The socialization of managers in work organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 2014. 19, 533-546. Bolat, O. İ., Bolat, T. ve Seymen, O. A. (2009). Güçlendirici lider davranışları ve örgütsel vatandaşlık davranışı arasındaki ilişkinin sosyal mübadele kuramından hareketle incelenmesi. Balıkesir Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 12, 21, 215-239. Carmeli, A., Gilat, G., & Weisberg, J. (2014). Perceived external prestige, organizational identification and affective commitment: A stakeholder approach. Corporate Reputation Review, 9, 92-104. Eisenberger, R., Armeli, S., Rexwinkel, B., Lynch, P. D., & Rhoades, L. (2011) 'Reciprocation of perceived organizational support', Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 86, No. 1, pp. 42-51. Eisenberger, R., Armeli, S., Rexwinkel, B., Lynch, P. D., & Rhoades, L. (2001). Reciprocation of perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(1), 42–51. Eisenberger, R., Rhoades, L., & Cameron, J. (2011). Does pay for performance increase or decrease perceived self-determination and intrinsic motivation? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(5), 1026–1040. Taguiam, A. ( 2021). Trust or not to trust: Assessing the Employees’ Level of Organizational Trust in the State University. Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing. 5(3),991-1000. Taguiam, A. (2022). Organizational Communication Climate and It’s Relationship to Employee Organizational Trust: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Positive School Psychology. 6 (3, 3332-3342.

Actuarial prediction versus clinical prediction of exits from a national supported housing program.

The accurate identification of persons at risk of exiting permanent supportive housing could help maximize client success and minimize attrition and premature exits from such housing. Thus, in the present study, we developed and tested multivariable prediction models of negative and positive exits from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program using logistic regression and random forests. We compared the performance of these models with clinical predictions made by HUD-VASH program case managers. We selected a cohort of all 92,196 Veterans who entered HUD-VASH nationwide between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2019, 70% of whom were randomly selected to serve as the development cohort and the remaining 30% of whom served as the validation cohort. Negative and positive exits were measured until September 30, 2019. A subset of 1,264 Veterans was used to compare performance of models with clinical judgment. Predictor variables included sociodemographic characteristics, health and behavioral health diagnoses, homeless/housing history, and VA service utilization history. Performance of models and clinical judgment were assessed using an array of metrics including area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value. The logistic regression and random forest models had similar, modest performance in predicting negative and positive exits. These models were substantially more sensitive, yet far less specific in predicting exits than clinician ratings. Study findings highlight the challenges and tradeoffs in using actuarial models or case manager predictions to target interventions to Veterans at risk of exiting HUD-VASH. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Fraud risk judgment measurement scale development

Recently, many financial scandals and frauds have been published in mass media. It has resulted in ruining the public trust in the internal auditor profession as the third line of defense since the public perceived frauds detection and prevention as the internal auditors’ responsibility (DeZoort & Harrison, 2018). The internal auditors’ fraud risk judgment performance has been questioned. There are many scales to measure fraud risk judgment; however, they are mostly related to financial-statement-related frauds with external auditors as the targeted respondents and still lack those to measure fraud risk judgment of internal auditors. This paper aims to propose the scale for measuring the performance of internal auditors’ fraud risk judgment. Since there are many internal auditors without accounting background, the fraud case should be developed to be more general, instead of financial-statement-related frauds. The study followed the best practice step by step in developing a scale proposed by Boateng, Neilands, Frongillo, Melgar-Quiñonez, and Young (2018). It involved 5 experts in developing and validating the items, 106 respondents in the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and 202 respondents in the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). All the required indicators in the steps were acceptable; therefore, we can conclude that the scale is valid and reliable. The scale was developed based on the fraud triangle theory; hopefully, it can contribute to providing alternative fraud risk judgment measurement for internal auditors.

Branch and bound technique for two stage flow shop scheduling model with equipotential machines at every stage

Among the different jobs in manufacturing industries job scheduling is one of the most significant at the performance judgment level to facilitate organisation to attain competitiveness. Scheduling consist in allotment of limited resources to jobs over time in order to achieve one or more optimisation objectives. Scheduling has been mostly investigated in case of single machine at each stage or several machine at one stage and sole machine at rest of the stages. This study proposes an exact branch and bound algorithm to schedule n-jobs on two machines with parallel equipotential machines at every phase. The purpose of this work is to find best possible schedule of jobs with the intention to diminish the entire elapsed time and allocate in an optimal mode the lead time of the jobs to parallel equipotential machines of both the type so that total cost of doing all the jobs is minimised.

Teacher judgments in school exams: Influences of students' lower-order-thinking skills on the assessment of students’ higher-order-thinking skills

School exams often measure students' higher-order-thinking-skills (HOTS) subsequent to students' lower-order-thinking-skills (LOTS). Teachers should assess students' HOT separately from students’ LOT. Three experimental studies (N = 36/41/40) investigated whether assessing LOTS-related performances can distort subsequent judgments of HOTS-related performances within school exams in different grade levels and subjects. In each study, participants assessed four exams: Each began with good vs. poor LOTS-related performances and finished with good vs. poor HOTS-related performances. Results showed that participants judged the HOTS-related performances more negatively (positively) when LOTS-related performances were poor (vs. good). We discuss the results concerning the cognitive modeling of teacher judgments.

Understanding the role of visual and auditory information in evaluating musical performance

A recommendation of: Gakuto Chiba, Yuto Ozaki, Shinya Fujii, Patrick E. Savage Sight vs. sound in the judgment of music performance: Cross-cultural evidence from classical piano and Tsugaru shamisen competitions https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/xky4j

The Impact of Discretionary Measurement Criteria on Investors’ Judgement and Decisions

This study investigates the effect on nonprofessional investors’ judgements and decisions of discretionary measurement choices. Using a paper-and-pencil experience, we collect and analyze information regarding investment amounts as well as past and future financial performance judgements of firms’ earnings by manipulating fair value (mark-to-market and mark-to-model) criteria and benchmarking it with historical cost-based financial statements. We proxy nonprofessional investors with graduate students from a business school. Our results show evidence that nonprofessional investors view fair value changes as permanent. We argue for a cashflow volatility factor. Contrary to previous research, we do not find evidence of any effect on investors’ willingness to invest (average budget amounts invested) or performance judgments (past and future). We corroborate previous evidence that investors rank measurement concepts’ relevance differently for different classes, although, on average, mark-to-market fair values and historical cost are rated more relevant and reliable than mark-to-model fair values.

The Effects of Match Congestion on Physical Performance in Football Referees.

We examined the changes in performance during congested (two matches within a 7-day interval) and non-congested (one match within≥7-day interval) fixtures in 17 elite football (soccer) referees during 181 official matches. External demands comprised 20 GPS-based metrics. Internal load was assessed by heart rate and rating of perceived exertion. Compared to non-congested fixtures, referees decreased their running distance at 21-24 km·h-1 (p=0.027, effect size [ES]=0.41) and > 24 km·h-1 (p=0.037, ES=0.28), the number of sprints (p=0.012, ES=0.29), and distance sprinting (p=0.022, ES=0.29) in congested matches. Most play metrics were lower in congested versus non-congested fixtures with low-to-moderate ES. During the 2nd half of non-congested fixtures, referees covered larger distances at low-speed running (p=0.025, ES=0.47). Match congestion due to officiating two matches less than a week apart caused a notable decrease in match running activity in professional football referees, especially at above 21 km·h-1. These data reiterate the need for specific conditioning and post-match recovery strategies in high-level referees to ensure optimal judgment performance favouring the quality of the competition. Governing bodies should take these outcomes into account when designating referees for a match.