Study shows performance affects perception

Purdue University Assistant Professor Jessica Witt and doctoral student Travis Dorsch said they studied the visual perceptions of 23 non-football athletes who attempted to kick field goals from the center of a football field at the 10-yard line. Those who made successful kicks "judged the goal posts to be farther apart and the crossbar lower to the ground," Witt reported. Participants who kicked the ball too wide judged the goal to be narrower, while those kicking the ball too short judged the goal to be taller.

"People trying to kick field goals will see a much smaller goal after unsuccessful attempts," said Witt. "There are still a number of questions to answer about this work, including what role perception plays for professional athletes who practice the sport more than the average person."

The study appears in the journal Perception.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.