ABSTRACT

In this chapter, we will talk about the research in these three areas. We will show that, for some officials, physical demands are often a priority, which is reflected in their training. We will also show that the research approach to officiating decisions differs to that used for athletes, where officiating decision making often follows a socially driven thinking process. Although factors that influence decisions are sometimes framed as biases, we will show how they are due to the difficulty of the task and simple human nature, and often take place on an unconscious level. Finally, because there is still a great deal of research to be done with officials, we will often ask the questions that remain to be answered. Although there are a variety of different types of sport official, from the basketball referee to the judge in dressage, the research we will review deals mostly with judges (e.g. gymnastics), referees (e.g. soccer, rugby) and umpires (i.e., baseball).