The Issue of Unconscious Bias in Referee Decisions in the National Rugby League

Bibliographic Data

ID5285186
AuthorsKatherine A O''Brien, Katherine A O'Brien, Katherine A O’brien (0000-0003-2664-5547, Queensland University of Technology, corresponding author), John Mangan (0000-0002-9719-4723, The University of Queensland, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume3
Pages739570-739570
Publication date2021-09-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Sports and Active Living (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2624-9367 • E-ISSN: 2624-9367
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fspor.2021.739570
PMID34661100
OpenAlexW3203979204
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited36

Referees are appointed to be impartial sporting figures. They are trained to provide leadership and guidance, interpret infractions, adjudicate rules, all while maintaining the highest levels of objectivity and sense. However, when decisions are driven by individual heuristics, limited information, context, goal motivations, emotions, time pressures and cognitive load, it can be difficult to discern how and why particular referee judgements are made. In this paper, we draw on data from the major Rugby League competition in Australia between the years 1978 to 2019 to examine whether clubs fare significantly better or worse under particular National Rugby League referees. We examine potential causes that might contribute to the referee effect and ask why, after years of specialist training and game assessments, are rugby league referees, even at the elite professional level, still processing information in preferential ways

Adjudication · Context (archaeology · Elite · Football · Heuristics · League · Objectivity (philosophy · Political science · Public relations · Unconscious mind · Applied Psychology · Computer Science · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sport Psychology and Performance · Sports Analytics and Performance

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Open DOIOpen Access