Anchoring effect in athlete team selection: exploring context-related factors

Research Question The anchoring effect – decision-makers’ reliance on initial information (the anchor) when forming judgments – is a widespread phenomenon. Nevertheless, little is known about its role in JDM in sports. This study addresses the gap by exploring how anchors feature in athlete team selection (ATS), drawing on interview accounts from Australia’s national team selectors (i.e. coaches and other members of selection panels). We ask: (1) How do selectors experience anchors in the ATS process? (2) Which anchors are most salient in selectors’ accounts of ATS judgments?Research methods Using qualitative description as the strategy of inquiry, we conducted semi-structured interviews with twelve national team selectors from five different sports. Reflexive thematic analysis guided the interpretation of participants’ accounts.Results and findings Selectors experienced anchors through three higher-order themes: (a) performance data, (b) visual observation, and (c) selector experience. The most salient anchors were four internal ones: athletes’ (1) physiological features, (2) psychological behaviour, (3) recent performance, and (4) perceived experience; and two external ones: (1) data-driven metrics and (2) situation-driven priorities. Anchors also appeared to operate in combination, reinforcing, qualifying, or counterbalancing one another across selection contexts. The findings further suggest that past performance may function as either a stabilising benchmark or a constraining anchor, depending on whether judgments are updated in light of newer evidence.Implications The findings can support more transparent selection practice by helping panels make explicit which reference points guide judgment, when those reference points should be revised, and how multiple cues combine.