FROM VISION TO VICTORY - ENHANCING SOCCER PERFORMANCE THROUGH VISUAL PERCEPTION & DECISION-MAKING

Abstract

Grounded in ecological dynamics and employing a Vision-in-Action methodological framework, this dissertation examined how OMBs captured through mobile eye tracking underpin perception-action coupling (P-AC) across active- (ADM) and non-active decision-making (NADM) activities, and whether practice exposure influences gaze-performance relationships over time in collegiate women’s soccer players. Aim 1 examined OMBs within an NADM activity, Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT). Greater allocation of viewing time toward task-relevant areas (e.g., passing targets) and was associated with poorer performance, and longer quiet eye (QE) durations showed a meaningful relationship with reduced passing accuracy. These findings suggest that prolonged visual engagement with specific targets may reflect inefficiencies in perceptual attunement, whereas flexible visual exploration may support performance within LSPT and other spatially constrained environments. Aim 2 extended this investigation to an ADM activity by examining OMBs during 4v4 small-sided games (SSGs). Principal component analysis identified two distinct attentional strategy components: spatial allocation of gaze and temporal gaze dynamics. While spatial allocation did not differ meaningfully between attackers and defenders, temporal dynamics showed positional differences, with defenders demonstrating longer and more variable fixation behaviors. These findings indicate that positional roles shape how players regulate the timing of visual engagement during ADM activities, but not necessarily where attention is directed. Neither component was associated with performance outcomes. Aim 3 adopted a longitudinal, mixed-methods approach to examine how practice exposure related to changes in gaze behavior and performance across an offseason. NADM and ADM activities produced distinct exposure profiles, with the former eliciting greater possession frequency and rapid touches. Changes in fixation allocation toward passing targets were positively associated with changes in performance, such that increased reliance on target-directed fixations corresponded to poorer outcomes. Practice exposure did not moderate changes in gaze-performance relationships, although greater exposure was associated with smaller increases in target-directed fixations over time. In contrast, gaze behavior and performance during SSGs remained stable across the observation period. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that P-AC in soccer is highly context-dependent and shaped by task, environmental, and individual (e.g., role-specific) constraints. Effective P-AC was reflected by adaptive attention processes rather than a single optimal strategy, though effective performance seemed to be associated with reduced reliance on prolonged or repeated fixations. These findings highlight the importance of representative training design and support the manipulation of environmental and task constraints to support adaptive visual perception and decision-making. In summary, this dissertation provides an ecologically valid account of perceptual-cognitive expertise in soccer, demonstrating that gaze behavior emerges from the interaction between performer and environment, and offers practical insight for practice design.