INTERNATIONAL BIAS IN GYMNASTIC JUDGING - CONSCIOUS OR UNCONSCIOUS INFLUENCES

A clear pattern of international bias in gymnastic judging is that jud ges award gymnasts from their own country higher scores than other jud ges who have evaluated the same routine. Two experiments tested whethe r international bias in gymnastic judging could be partially explained by unconscious influences in the form of exposure or perceptual fluen cy effects. It was reasoned that repeated exposure to a gymnast's rout ine mould lead to perceptual fluency effects that would be misattribut ed to increased appreciation of the routine. This misattribution could result in judges awarding higher scores. No support was provided for the hypothesis of unconscious influences. The results are discussed in terms of the possible factors that contributed to a null effect and t he practical implications for gymnastic judging.