Expertise-Based Differences in Search and Option-Generation Strategies

The current work builds on option-generation research using experts of various skill levels in a realistic task. We extend previous findings that relate an athlete's performance strategy to generated options and subsequent choices in handball. In a 2-year longitudinal study, we present eye-tracking data to independently verify decision strategies previously inferred from patterns of generated options. A verbal protocol identified the option-generation process for each individual prior to an allocation decision. Although athletes of varying expertise generated the same number of options on average, these options differed in quality between expert, near-expert, and nonexpert athletes for both their initial and final choices. These and other key results are formalized to elaborate a model of option generation, deliberation, and selection.