Visual Search, Pupillary Response, and Scoring Differences Between Expert and Novice Judges in Artistic Swimming: An Exploratory Study

Artistic swimming (AS) choreographies are evaluated by judges who assign scores based on pre-established criteria. Since perception and cognition are key mechanisms involved in scoring AS performances, visual search patterns and pupillary responses may vary according to judges' levels of expertise. This exploratory study aimed to compare visual search behavior, pupil diameter variability, and scoring between expert and novice AS judges during the evaluation of the Straight Ballet Leg and Rio figures. Six expert and seven novice judges wore an eye-tracker while evaluating 2D video projections of these figures. The results indicated that expert judges exhibited shorter fixations away from the athlete's body, made more fixations on the athlete's upper limbs, and fewer fixations on the lower limbs and areas outside the athlete's body. They also showed greater variability in pupil diameter and assigned higher scores compared to novice judges. Regardless of expertise, judges directed more fixations toward the upper limbs when evaluating the Rio figure and more toward the lower limbs when evaluating the Straight Ballet Leg figure. These findings suggest that expert AS judges display distinct patterns of visual attention - focusing on relevant areas (e.g., upper limbs) while disregarding irrelevant ones (e.g., areas outside the body) - along with greater cognitive load and superior scoring performance, indicative of highly automated cognitive processes.