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Acting fast on feelings!: Naïve theories of futsal players about the use of feelings during their course of action

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Resumo:Abstract: Athletes often report relying on their gut feelings to guide their decisions. This paper examines this reliance through a social-cognitive approach, focusing on players’ beliefs about how they use feelings, thoughts, or a simple assessment of the situation when making decisions. In Study 1, we first asked athletes about how they define “actions” and “changes of action” in a sports context and then inquired them about how they would justify their decisions to make such changes – whether through feelings, thinking, or a simple apprehension of the situation. Study 2 replicates these questions and explores whether the justifications for changes of action vary in different contextual characteristics (ambiguity, dynamism, or complexity) represented through a set of futsal game scenarios (photos). The results of both studies clearly show that, although athletes believe they make decisions based on all three sources of information, they predominantly rely on their feelings to guide most of their action decisions, particularly when the actions are fast-paced, dynamic, and complex. These findings are discussed in relation to theories that highlight the role of feelings as a valuable source of information in decision-making and action.
Autores principais:Fonseca, Cristina
Outros Autores:Lapa, Ana; Garcia-Marques, Teresa
Assunto:Sports athletes, Decision-making, Feelings as information, Game context. Atletas desportivos, Tomada de decisão, Sentimentos como informação, Contexto de jogo.
Ano:2025
País:Portugal
Tipo de documento:artigo
Tipo de acesso:unknown
Instituição associada:Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas Sociais e da Vida
Idioma:inglês
Origem:Análise Psicológica
Descrição
Resumo:Abstract: Athletes often report relying on their gut feelings to guide their decisions. This paper examines this reliance through a social-cognitive approach, focusing on players’ beliefs about how they use feelings, thoughts, or a simple assessment of the situation when making decisions. In Study 1, we first asked athletes about how they define “actions” and “changes of action” in a sports context and then inquired them about how they would justify their decisions to make such changes – whether through feelings, thinking, or a simple apprehension of the situation. Study 2 replicates these questions and explores whether the justifications for changes of action vary in different contextual characteristics (ambiguity, dynamism, or complexity) represented through a set of futsal game scenarios (photos). The results of both studies clearly show that, although athletes believe they make decisions based on all three sources of information, they predominantly rely on their feelings to guide most of their action decisions, particularly when the actions are fast-paced, dynamic, and complex. These findings are discussed in relation to theories that highlight the role of feelings as a valuable source of information in decision-making and action.