Understanding Higher Order Affordances

Higher order affordances represent opportunities for action that arise from the combination of two or more lower order affordances, essential for athletes' decision-making processes. For example, in soccer, the ability to perform a pass through a gap between opponents is influenced not only by the size of the gap but also by the relationship between the players involved. This concept highlights the importance of perceiving the social context, such as whether the nearby players are teammates or opponents, which drastically affects an athlete's tactical choices. Athletes need to integrate their perceptual skills concerning their own physical capabilities and the strategic aspects of the game to effectively perceive and capitalize on these higher order affordances.