Title: “Developing perceptual skills for pitch recognition in baseball“
Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Nicola Hodges
Committee members: Dr. Romeo Chua, Dr. Miriam Spering, Dr. Sean Müller (Federation University, Australia)
Chair: Dr. Mark Carpenter
Abstract: There has been an increasing interest in training perceptual skills in sports through video-based methods, particularly in baseball (e.g., baseball pitch recognition). However, there is little empirical evidence related to their reliability and validity, to help guide the efficacy and application of video-based training methods. Here we sought to investigate whether an online task can be used to a) assess perceptual cognitive skills and b) discriminate across age and different skill groups. An online experimental platform was developed to help collect data on baseball specific predictions concerning pitch type and dynamic visual acuity among baseball players (age 13 -22 yr). The baseball prediction task was shown to be valid and reliable, discriminating across skill groups. We did show within group differences in accuracy, however, depending on the type of stimuli, with one pitcher being responded to more accurately and reliably than another. Due to difficulties in recruitment and retention, the data was mostly based on adult participants, such that the current data mostly help to inform recommendations and guides for continued study in this field. Our aim is to develop reliable and valid tests which can be used to help inform as to the development of perceptual-cognitive skills in baseball.