Mindfulness and Decision Making: A Study on Wrestling Referees

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between mindfulness levels and decision making styles of wrestling referees. Since referees have to make instant decisions during the competition, the effect of their individual cognitive processes on their decision making mechanisms is seen as an important research area. Mindfulness is defined as the individual's awareness of the current moment and acceptance without judgement, and is associated with decision making processes in the context of sport psychology. Within the scope of the research, data were collected on a sample group consisting of wrestling referees who actively served between 2022-2023. The sample consisted of 76 participants selected by random sampling method. ‘Mindfulness Scale’ was used to determine the mindfulness levels of the referees and “Decision Making Styles Scale” was used to evaluate their decision making styles. Descriptive statistics were used and normality assumptions were tested, revealing that the data were normally distributed. Accordingly, t-test, ANOVA, Tukey post-hoc, and Pearson correlation analyses were conducted using SPSS 25.0, with the significance level set at p<.05. As a result of the analyses, no significant relationship was found between mindfulness levels and decision making styles of wrestling referees. However, it was also evaluated whether the referees differed according to demographic variables in terms of mindfulness levels and decision making styles. At this point, it was determined that national referees were more careful in making decisions than international referees. The results show that mindfulness does not have a direct effect on referees' decision making processes, but individual and environmental factors may be determinant on decision making mechanisms. In this context, the importance of practical training on decision making processes in referee training programmes is highlighted.