Introduction, comprehensive approach, and vision for the future

Abstract

The aim of this introduction is to provide the reader with the keys to understanding the context of the research papers published in this special issue on emotions and decision-making in sports. Recent work on emotions and decision-making in psychology is first contrasted with historical views on the topic, and the claim is made that the sports domain is an ideal environment for the development of the field. After introducing the articles, we outline a comprehensive approach for future research that would take advantage of theoretical and methodological developments. Specifically, at the theoretical level we show how sports could benefit from integrating theories from mainstream psychology, and at the methodological level we detail the possibilities offered by cognitive neuroscience to increase what is known about the processes at the core of the emotion and decision-making relationship.

Keywords:

• option generation
• take-the-first
• intuition