Risk Preference and Perceptual Anticipation of Goalkeepers at Different Levels under Gain-Loss:Evidence from fNIRS

Objective: To investigate the behavioral rules of risk preference of goalkeepers under the gain and loss situation, and then to explore the changes of perceptual anticipation ability and its related cognitive neural characteristics in goalkeepers. Methods: one independent variable between subject design was used to explore the brain activity differences in perceptual anticipation based on prior information of different level goalkeepers. A two-factor mixed experimental design was used to explore the neural mechanism of the influence of gain and loss situation on goalkeepers' risk preference and perceptual anticipation performance. Results: 1)The accuracy of perceptual anticipation of expert goalkeepers were significantly higher than that of novice goalkeepers, and the right angular and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were activated significantly between expert goalkeepers and novice goalkeepers; 2) both groups of goalkeepers preferred low-risk and low-reward tasks in the loss situation, while expert goalkeepers preferred high-risk and high-reward tasks in the gain situation; 3) there was no significant difference in perceptual anticipation between the two groups under the gain and loss situation. In the loss situation, the novice goalkeeper's perceptual anticipation performance was improved significantly, and the the right angular gyrus and visual contact cortex was significantly enhanced. Conclusions: 1) The advantage of perceptual anticipation is related to the right angular gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; 2) the rules of risk preference under the situation of gain and loss is partially applicable to goalkeepers. Loss situation can enhance the activation of right angular gyrus and visual contact cortex, and improve the perceptual anticipation performance in novice goalkeepers.