Decision making under virtual environment triggers more aggressive tactical solutions

Abstract

Virtual reality is a promising technology that can be used to assess and train decision-making skills in sports. However, it is not necessarily clear what benefits this technology offers compared to previous technologies. The present study investigated the differences in option generation related to tactical decision-making when the same tactical scene was observed in 2D video and 3D VR. Soccer players (N = 27) were asked to observe tactical scenes and verbally report as many tactical options as possible under 2D video and 3D VR conditions. They were classified into high-, medium-, or low-decision capability groups based on the decision-making test. Irrespective of the capability, the 2D video and 3D VR had the same number of generated options. However, 3D VR generated more aggressive options that led to the goal, even though the exact same scene was observed between the conditions. This result may be because 3D VR can reproduce more realistic information exploration behavior than 2D video. Given that differences were observed regardless of skill level, the results suggest that VR technology has the potential for use as a more accurate decision evaluation method and effective training tool compared to previous methods for a wide variety of learners.