Social Cognition in the Context of the Baseball Umpire

In baseball, the umpire is often an overlooked entity to the game. He must administer the correct call, bias-free, each time the ball is put into play. He must recognize his downfalls and strive for perfection, as it is demanded of him the moment he steps on the field. As an umpire with the Northern California Umpire Association, I’ve noticed many social cognitions in play (pun intended) when on the field and all are applicable to the study of social psychology.
The halo effect in umping baseball games usually occurs in the negative light. There are only a handful of teams the NCUA works with in the city so I will undoubtedly work games for the same teams. It can take just one unruly coach or player, distressed over a close call, to shout from the sidelines “Blue! Open your eyes! He pulled his foot!” to make a bad impression. During my next encounter with his team or, even more realistically, during the next the play, I am more apt to regard him as a “bad coach” and someone with a quick temper. It can also take just one bad call from me to lose all credibility I have and those players and coaches will remember me at the next game I’m working.
Oftentimes, the halo effect can lead to attitude heuristics, where we base judgments on our attitudes. My job description could probably be best simplified as “Judge.” If I am judging calls on my attitudes towards a particular player or a team because of their unruly coach, for instance, I am not doing my job and am bound to make a mistake. In a situation where perfection is demanded, there is no room to err.
This afternoon I worked a game in the Marina at the Moscone Rec. Center. The visiting team’s catcher looked at a chest-high strike-three pitch. He couldn’t believe that it was called a strike. He made some appeals but eventually stormed back to the dugout muttering some curses under his breath. He was attributing his failure to situational factors (i.e. ump didn’t see the pitch right) rather than his own failure to swing the bat (Fundamental Attribution Error).
It is the nature of the game to disagree with the umpire, especially when you’re in the wrong. As a former player,  I realize this. However, I was quick to judge the player as immature and a “hot-head.” After his mild tantrum, I noticed someone got him McDonald’s and, lo and behold, he was eating it inside the dugout during the game! Before I could help it, I was forming a confirmation bias towards this kid. Fortunately for me I recognized it right away and he was taken out of the game by his coach after he finished his cheeseburger before I could a create a self-fulfilling prophecy the next time he was up. My co-worker, the plate umpire, told me after the game that he’ll call every high pitch that player gets a strike because of his reaction. I laughed.
Perhaps the most enthralling part of umping a game is getting to punch the air with a fist while calling “Out!” or swiping the air forcefully while calling “Safe!” on a close play. However, there is an image of professionalism I have to maintain as umpire. In this job, attitude accessibility is an important skill to have. I have to know whether or not the play is a “close” play and whether or not it is a key play in the game. I won’t pump my fist with energy if the center-fielder happens to catch a routine pop-fly in the third inning but I might if there is a pick-off play at second base in the fifth. Even the umpires manual warns against weak attitude accessibility, albeit in much simpler terms.
The key element to good umping is being able to reconstruct the play in your head a second after it has occurred. The good umpire must not let attitudes and biases cloud his judgment while on the field. He must recognize the ramifications of the halo effect before administering a call by properly reconstructing the play in his head instantaneously and correctly. For what would seem like a difficult job to some, I see umping as the perfect setting for the study of social psychology.