Applying the Recognition-Primed Decision Model to Differentiate Players’ Role in Volleyball
Daniel Fortin-Guichard 1, Nicola Thibault 1, Émie Tétreault 1,
Christiane Trottier 2, and Simon Grondin 1
The Recognition-primed decision model (RPDM) explains how experts make decisions when facing situations related to their area of expertise. Key decision makers among experts in a given field can sometimes be identified based on their roles and responsibilities. The aim of this study is to analyze, using the RPDM, how the anticipation process of experts with decisional responsibilities, namely setters in volleyball, differs from that of other experts and non-experts when facing context-specific situations. Twenty-five setters, 36 other players, and 19 controls watched 50 volleyball video sequences: 10 services, 10 receptions, 10 sets, 10 attacks, and 10 blocks. Sequences stopped 120 ms before ball contact, and participants had to explain their anticipation process by answering four questions verbally: “What would you do facing this situation?”, “What were you looking at?”, “What were you thinking of?”, and “What led you to this decision?”. Answers were transcribed verbatim. Scores were computed, where points were awarded depending on verbalization number and relevance to the model. Mixed factorial ANOVAs revealed that setters scored higher than other players on three types of ball contacts and higher than controls on all five. Other players had higher scores than controls on all contact types except receptions. In addition, results indicate that players’ orientation and position are relevant visual cues. Results support the validity of the RPDM to explain how volleyball players with different levels of decision making responsibilities differ. Discussion suggests the use of RPDM as a tool to identify key decision makers.