Impact of observational modeling on quiet eye duration and free-throw performance in basketball

Abstract

Modeling of observation-based training offers a way for beginners to get ready to learn new abilities and handle challenging tasks. However, neither the composed effects of these techniques nor their underlying mechanisms have been studied. Therefore, the current study investigated the effect of expert and novice observational modeling and gaze behavior on free-throw basketball performance in novices and analyzed the mechanisms that facilitate learning with a quiet eye. Forty-eight novice student (age = 26.37 ± 3.12 years, height = 175.62 ± 7.40 cm) participants contributed to this research. They were arbitrarily divided into four groups: expert model with gaze guidance (EGG), expert model without gaze guidance (EWGG), novice model with gaze guidance (NGG), and novice model without gaze guidance (NWGG). Pre- and post-tests (acquisition and retention) were conducted to assess the participants' quiet eye and the performance of basketball free-throw skills. The participants underwent five consecutive days of observational learning with and without gaze guidance, followed by physical training. All throws were done with the dominant hand (right). Results indicated performance improvement effects of EGG & NGG models with longer eye quiet duration accompanying it than EWGG & NWGG models (P ≤ 0.05). Furthermore, in line with our prediction, long eye-quiet duration is linked with improved performance in motor learning tasks. It also facilitates the process of learning motor skills. The findings suggest the efficiency and effectiveness of the gaze behavior method and its positive impact on motor skills' observational learning modeling method.