In the present article, we investigate the effects of speci!c nonverbal behaviors
signaling dominance and submissiveness on impression formation and outcome
expectation in the soccer penalty kick situation. In Experiment 1, results indicated
that penalty takers with dominant body language are perceived more positively
by soccer goalkeepers and players and are expected to perform better than players
with a submissive body language. This effect was similar for both video and
point-light displays. Moreover, in contrast to previous studies, we found no effect
of clothing (red vs. white) in the video condition. In Experiment 2, we used the
implicit association test to demonstrate that dominant body language is implicitly
associated with a positive soccer player schema whereas submissive body language
is implicitly associated with a negative soccer player schema. The implications
of our !ndings are discussed with reference to future implications for theory and
research in the study of person perception in sport.