Finding the Zone: Probabilities of Optimal Performance in a Real-World and Exergaming Basketball Task

Abstract

We used the Individual Affective Probabilistic Zones methodology to explore optimal and suboptimal profiles of three professional players performing an exergaming basketball task and a real-world basketball task. The players performed 10 series of 10 three-point shots for each task. Heart rate was continuously monitored throughout the task. Prior to each shot, the participants reported their levels of arousal, pleasantness, and self-efficacy. Participants also reported their perceptions of flow and rates of perceived exertion (RPE) after each series of shots. We observed that all participants exhibited different curves of optimal performance (intra-subject analysis) for the two different tasks, and that their responses were highly idiosyncratic (inter-subject analysis). Perceptions of flow and RPE also differed by task. These findings suggest that psychobiosocial states underpinning optimal performance in exergaming and real-world sport scenarios can vary greatly. Sport psychologists and videogame designers should consider these findings when developing psychological interventions and advancing exergaming applications.