Decision making in sports: Influence of complexity on implicit and explicit learning

Abstract

This paper analyzes the implicit and explicit learning distinction of tactical decision making in ball games. It is argued that implicitly learned decisions are advantageous in low‐complexity situations and explicitly learned decisions are advantageous in high‐complexity situations. Four experiments were carried out in low‐complexity and high‐complexity situations in handball, basketball, and volleyball. The results suggest that in low‐complexity situations implicit learners are superior to explicit learners, and in high‐complexity situations the opposite is true. These results, in sports‐specific situations, are consistent with recent research that shows the ecological rationality of human behavior. Practical applications are drawn from the results for training in ball games.

Key words:

• complexity
• decision making
• dual‐process theories
• implicit learning
• explicit learning