3.1.3. Procedure

Following the informed consent process, the participants were fitted with a 256-channel EEG net and placed 55 cm in front of a computer monitor. A chinrest was used to minimize head movements and keep the distance to the monitor fixed for every participant. The participants were explicitly told that there were nine defensive formations in this study belonging to three categories, and that they must learn which formations go into each category. The response feedback that would help teach the participant to make the correct decision was explained clearly, and the participants were allowed to ask questions before the experiment began.

Once the participant could demonstrate an understanding of the study to the research assistant, a short practice block that consisted of 12 trials followed. The formations used in the practice block resembled di fferent basketball formations to avoid familiarity e ffects once the real training began. After the practice block, eight training blocks occurred, followed by a final generalization block to test a subject's strategies to novel members of the acquired categories. At the end of the experiment, the participants filled out a debriefing questionnaire, which asked them to describe the strategies that they used to categorize each group of formations. Each session lasted around 2.5 H, and the participants were compensated course credit for their participation.
