ABSTRACT
An extensive body of research suggests that vision is the dominant sensory system underpinning human function (Williams, Davids & Williams, 1999). As a consequence, researchers have attempted to enhance understanding of how vision contributes to performance in many areas of activity (see Harris & Jenkins, 2010; Land & Tatler, 2009). In the domain of sport, a particular interest has been to ascertain how experts and novices use the visual system differently to allocate attention and guide performance. Mann, Williams, Ward and Janelle (2007) conducted a meta-analysis of nearly three decades of empirical work in this area. The review highlighted some of the key skill-based differences that have been reported in regard to both how performers allocate limited attention resources within the visual field and the manner in which the different components of the visual system (i.e. the fovea, parafovea and periphery) are employed to capture relevant information to guide action. As our knowledge of the mechanisms underpinning the effective use of vision has developed, there has been increased interest in exploring whether and how training programmes can be designed to facilitate performance across numerous domains (Abernethy, Wann & Parks, 1998; Williams et al., 1999).
