La información situacional probabilística en el deporte: un metaanálisis

The aim of the study is to quantify the effect of Situational Probability Information (SPI) on athletic performance, specifically on the onset of the response time and the accuracy of athletes. There is scientific evidence that shows that higher sport level athletes develop the perceptive skills to use SPI, thereby performing anticipatory behaviours. However, the magnitude of this effect remains unknown. A meta-analysis of random effects was carried out to quantify the effect size (ES) of SPI on the motor behaviour of athletes. The results showed an overall final mean ES of 1.29 for the response time (in 7 studies and 252 participants), and 1.31 for accuracy (in 9 studies and 292 participants), according to the criteria established. With the limitation of the low number of studies analysed (n = 9), the results suggest that expert athletes anticipate more frequently and with higher accuracy than beginners, due to the use of SPI. It is recommended to train in the identification and use of the SPI in the sports domain, as athletes who use this contextual information more effectively could anticipate the responses with precision.