Information Transmission of Initial vs Later Between-Point Nonverbal Behaviors in Tennis

The purpose of this study was to determine the portion of the “between-point” (from the end of one point to the beginning of the next) behavioral episode that provided most information in the detection of winning and losing behavior. Experienced Canadian (40 males and 40 females) adult tennis playing volunteers viewed either the first half (Tape X) or last half (Tape Y) of the “between-point” episodes on videotape. They were requested to respond as to whether the sender of the message (3 high ranking male and 3 similarly skilled female Canadian players) had won or lost the point immediately preceding the behavior viewed. No sex differences were found when considering the tapes separately or when considering male and female players who appeared on the tapes separately. Detection ability especially of losing behavior and particularly for males was significantly better on Tape X (first half of the episodes) than on Tape Y (second half of the episodes). The relevant behaviors, particularly those indicating losing, occurred in the first portion of the tape, suggesting that the players exhibiting the behavior suppressed the display of losing behavior.