Re: Sentiment of spectators. I read an article which claimed research to explain home field advantage in sports is attributable to the influence the spectators have on referees or umpires. They researchers believed that refs were not intentionally biased, but as humans the effect of a crowd expressing its beliefs induced unconscious bias…
Re: Sentiment of spectators. I read an article which claimed research to explain home field advantage in sports is attributable to the influence the spectators have on referees or umpires. They researchers believed that refs were not intentionally biased, but as humans the effect of a crowd expressing its beliefs induced unconscious bias. One would expect the same effect in courtrooms on both jurors and judges.
I'd like to see that article. My sense has been that whatever slight edge a home team has comes from crowd energy and not having to deal with travel. My only experience with this was when I played basketball in high school and the rims and background were more familiar at home, which helped me shoot.
Full disclosure here: I was going from memory and do not remember the source. There is a lot of research on the topic -- much of it has to do with measuring the effect of home field advantage. I found this article which looked at various possible explanations for it and officiating was one of the effects considered. The author rejects some popular explanations, and cites officiating bias as having an effect. He also finds other effects, or at least says some things, like the thin air in Denver, are possible effects.
Re: Sentiment of spectators. I read an article which claimed research to explain home field advantage in sports is attributable to the influence the spectators have on referees or umpires. They researchers believed that refs were not intentionally biased, but as humans the effect of a crowd expressing its beliefs induced unconscious bias. One would expect the same effect in courtrooms on both jurors and judges.
I'd like to see that article. My sense has been that whatever slight edge a home team has comes from crowd energy and not having to deal with travel. My only experience with this was when I played basketball in high school and the rims and background were more familiar at home, which helped me shoot.
Full disclosure here: I was going from memory and do not remember the source. There is a lot of research on the topic -- much of it has to do with measuring the effect of home field advantage. I found this article which looked at various possible explanations for it and officiating was one of the effects considered. The author rejects some popular explanations, and cites officiating bias as having an effect. He also finds other effects, or at least says some things, like the thin air in Denver, are possible effects.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/what-really-causes-home-field-advantage-and-why-its-on-the-decline
Suspect baseball may have a different psychological home advantage in the last-at-bat thing