탁구 서브 리시브 상황에서 숙련도와 시각 차단 조건에 따른 시각 탐색 특성 = Visual Search Characteristics During Serve Reception According to Table Tennis Expertise and Visual Occlusion Conditions

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate, based on the expertise of table tennis players, the differences in their judgment accuracy, reaction time, and visual search behavior when judging spin type and ball trajectory distance under two serving conditions—the presence or absence of visual occlusion.
METHODS: To this end, a total of 34 participants were recruited. Among them, 17 expert players had over 10 years of training experience and had achieved top-eight rankings in provincial-level competitions in China. The remaining 17 novice players had 2 – 3 years of training experience and no record of competitive awards. All participants were required to watch two pre-recorded table tennis serve videos (total duration: 1 minute and 50 seconds). The two videos consisted of 60 clips in total: 15 clips for judging spin type without visual occlusion, 15 clips for judging spin type with visual occlusion, 15 clips for judging ball trajectory length without visual occlusion, and 15 clips for judging ball trajectory length with visual occlusion. The study analyzed the effects of expertise level and the presence or absence of visual occlusion on judgment accuracy and reaction time in serve judgment. In terms of visual search behavior, fixation frequency, average fixation duration for each area of interest (AOI), and fixation duration ratio were examined for players of different expertise levels under both visual occlusion and non-occlusion conditions.
RESULTS: The experts demonstrated significantly higher judgment accuracy and shorter reaction times than the novices. Significant differences were also found between conditions with and without visual occlusion: judgment accuracy and reaction time for both spin type and ball trajectory length were superior under the non-occlusion condition compared with the visual occlusion condition. A significant interaction between expertise level and the presence or absence of visual occlusion was observed when judging serve spin type. Specifically, both experts and novices showed higher accuracy in the non-occlusion condition than in the visual occlusion condition. The visual search analysis revealed that experts exhibited a lower overall fixation frequency than novices. However, experts showed longer average fixation durations and higher fixation duration ratios than novices. Under the non-occlusion condition, both experts and novices allocated a higher proportion of fixations to the ball toss and the racket-holding arm area (AOI2). Under the visual occlusion condition, experts showed a higher fixation duration ratio on the trunk area (AOI1), whereas novices showed a higher fixation duration ratio on the ball toss area (AOI2).
CONCLUSIONS: First, in terms of judgment accuracy, the experts showed significantly higher accuracy than the novices, with a statistically significant difference. The presence of visual occlusion decreased players' judgment accuracy, also showing a statistically significant difference. This indicates that visual occlusion influences athletes' judgment performance. Second, in terms of reaction time, the experts demonstrated a significantly shorter reaction time than the novices. The presence of visual occlusion increased athletes' reaction time, with a statistically significant difference. This suggests that visual occlusion affects the speed of judgment. Third, regarding fixation frequency, the experts showed a significantly lower overall fixation frequency than the novices. However, in situations without visual occlusion, when judging spin and ball length, experts exhibited higher fixation frequencies on the dominant hand (the hand holding the racket) area and the trunk area, where racket-movement information could be obtained. In contrast, under visual occlusion—when visual information from the racket was blocked by the trunk—experts, when judging spin, showed higher fixation frequencies on the area providing trunk-movement information and on the area where the ball approached the table for the second bounce. When judging ball length, they showed higher fixation frequencies on the area providing trunk-movement information and on the area where the ball was flying toward the net. Fourth, in terms of average fixation duration, the experts' average fixation duration was generally longer than that of the novices. When judging spin and ball trajectory length, this difference was more pronounced in the racket-movement area under conditions without visual occlusion, and in the trunk area under conditions with visual occlusion. This indicates that experts focus on key visual cues for a longer period of time. Fifth, regarding fixation duration ratio, the experts showed a higher fixation duration ratio than the novices, allocating more viewing time to key information areas. Visual occlusion increased the fixation duration ratio in these key areas (such as the trunk and the area where the ball approaches the receiver), thereby influencing the extraction of information for decision-making. The findings of this study are expected to enhance the understanding of visual search behavior differences between table tennis experts and novices and to serve as foundational evidence for the systematic improvement of table tennis performance.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. Introduction 1
• 1. Need for the Study 1
• 2. Purpose of the Study 11
• 3. Hypothesis of the Study 12
• 4. Limitations of the Study 13
• 5. Definition of Terms 14
• Ⅱ. Theoretical Background 16
• 1. The Concept and Characteristics of Motor Expertise 16
• 2. Visual Search 19
• 3. Table Tennis and Table Tennis Serve 22
• III. Research Methods 30
• 1. Participants 30
• 2. Experimental Tools 31
• 3. Experimental Procedure and Tasks 35
• 4. Data Analysis Method 38
• IV. Research Results 41
• 1. Comparative Analysis of Serve Spin Decision-Making According to Different Expertise Levels 46
• 2. Comparative Analysis of Serve Trajectory Length Decision-Making According to Different Expertise Levels 66
• V. Discussion 87
• 1. Judgment Accuracy 87
• 2. Reaction Time 90
• 3. Visual Search 91
• Ⅵ. Conclusion and Suggestion 100
• References 103
• Acknowledgements 122
• 국문초록 123