Psychological analysis of arbitration and sport judgement: an approach from the interbehavioural model

• Main Authors: J.C. Caracuel, R. Andreu, E. Perez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Asociación Española de Ciencias del Deporte 2010-07-01
• Series: European Journal of Human Movement
• Online Access: https://eurjhm.com/index.php/eurjhm/article/view/3

Sport psychology is not just, as Riera says, the sportsman’s psychology; all people involves both directly and indirectly in such activity are potential subjects of that area. Judges and referees might be the closest people to the development and/or final result of a sport event. In this essay, the authors analyse the influence of psychological factors on these people at the moment of deciding and/or valuing the legality or the qualification on execution of athletes in sport competitions. The departing point is the conceptualisation of perception as an interactive response –not merely passive- of the organism in relation to the environment, following the interbehavioural approach. This allows us to analyse the actions of referees and judges according to the  field model proposed by Kantor and Ribes, identifying the integrative elements, as well as their interrelationships. Here, the influence of such variables is valued –more specifically- as factors to be taken into account both in perception as in decision-making that may happen to judges and referees. Finally, some suggestions about future counselling are considered in order to improve both the judges and referees behaviour and their formation. KEY WORDS: arbitration and sport judgement, psychological variables, perception, decision-making, field model, interbehavioural approach.