LAUSR

Objectives: The present paper elucidates some cognitive mechanisms of expertise in sport that have emerged from recent studies of three topics in psychology: motor imagery; flow and “clutch” states; and the “quiet eye” phenomenon. Design: A selective narrative review was conducted of research on the three preceding topics. Special consideration was given to recent studies by European researchers on these topics. Method: Following a brief overview of theoretical approaches to sport expertise, the paper examines certain cognitive mechanisms of elite athletic performance that have emerged from recent studies of motor imagery; flow and “clutch” states; and the “quiet eye” phenomenon. In the final section, conclusions are drawn about theoretical progress in understanding the cognitive mechanisms of expertise in sport. Results: The mechanisms underlying sport expertise reflect both task‐specific and universal cognitive processes (e.g., mental representations). Conclusion: Considerable progress has been made in identifying the cognitive mechanisms underlying expertise in sport but additional research is required to address certain unresolved issues in this field. &NA; Recent years have witnessed a profusion of research on athletic expertise ‐ or the characteristics, skills, and knowledge that distinguish elite performers from less skilled counterparts. Unfortunately, relatively few studies have been conducted on the cognitive mechanisms (i.e., interaction between basic cognitive processes) underlying expertise in sport. Therefore, the present paper elucidates some mechanisms of expertise that have emerged from recent research (mainly by European investigators) on three topics in sport psychology: namely, motor imagery; flow and “clutch” states; and the “quiet eye” perceptual phenomenon. The final section of the paper presents some conclusions about the progress and prospects of research on the cognitive mechanisms of expertise in sport.