Remember how John McEnroe used to go ballistic over what he thought were bad calls by referees? Youtube has a beautiful selection. Perhaps a new study in the journal Current Biology will provide McEnroe some vindication. The study examines wrong calls by tennis referees as a way to illustrate the way our brain sometimes plays tricks on us – all of us.
You’ve got to love the name of the study. “Perceptual Mislocalization Of Bouncing Balls By Professional Tennis Referees.” In other words, ‘Refs Make Mistakes.’ The news though is what kind of mistakes they make. Would you think they’re more likely to call an in ball out, or an out ball in? The answer is below. First, a short lesson on the amazing computing power of the brain from the study’s author. His name is David Whitney of The Center for Mind and Brain at The University of California, Davis.