Abstract
Quiet-Eye (QE) is defined as final fixation or tracking gaze prior to the task movement. Vickers (2000) showed in darts that hits depend on the onset, offset and duration of the QE. The hypothesis of the mechanism of QE is that the longer and better timed duration of foveal vision is used for a better information processing resulting in superior performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of foveal and peripheral vision in darts and the dependency of QE on this information using the moving window paradigm. 17 novice and 14 skilled dart players participated in this study and threw three blocks (baseline, foveal & peripheral vision) of 15 darts aiming at the bull's-eye. As dependent variables throwing accuracy and consistency as well as perceptual performance were measured using the Eye-Link II-system. Significant differences were found between skilled and novices in accuracy and concistency, F(1, 29) = 34.00, p < .01, ?p² = .54; F(1, 29) = 29.30, p < .01, ?p² = .50. Differences between blocks were observed in consistecy, F(2, 58) = 90.20, p <.01, ?p² = .76. Interaction were demonstrated for concistency too, Fs (2, 58) = 10.19, p < .01, ?p² = .26. QE duration showed only descriptive and significant ones between blocks were found, F (2, 54) = 6.05, p < .01, ?p² = .18. Taken together these results raise the question of neccessity of foveal vision and therefore information processing in quiet-eye. Possible other mechanisms will be discussed.
