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My answer
https://markleb1.wordpress.com/2015/02/14/everything-is-timing-mythbusters-edition/
In a perfect situation (great set location, hitter with good approach, etc.) I think the more skilled attackers can wait longer to make this decision. Many factors can partially dictate this decision, so four choices may not be enough. Even between elite athletes I think there is probably a lot of variation in this. A player with a longer armswing like a Stanley may need to make his decision slightly earlier than someone with a more compact armswing. You might be able to see it in a shot chart that relates the swing to the block? Players who wait later may find the weakness in the block more often than those who make their decision earlier? You would probably need a pretty large sample to be confident of what you are seeing though...
Of course you'll see quite a few things before, which will make it easier to make a decision. But when up in the air, there are only a few variables left on which to make a decision.. The position of yourself, the position of the ball and the position of the blockers hands. Assume the hitter is well trained and has a good setter with him, the position of the ball with respect to the hitter leaves the hitter all options open for hitting line or crosscourt. That means there is only 1 variable left, which is the position of the blockers hands. Making your choice based on the blockers hands position, gives the best option for scoring then. In my opinion, making your choice before even noticing the blockers hands, you're just guessing.
i think its more like a combination of these points. the more of them you see during your preperation for the attack, the more likely it is to have the gap of the block on the line. i think the decision to go cross or line is made when seeing the set whereas the decision to go for a touch on the block or not is made when seeing the blocker´s hands
@ Rick: You can guess a lot of things that will happen even before the set if you just go through your spikes for a second before the set. That's why i chose before the set for this question. But i also think that it's not always the same kind of decision making.
When he sees the blocker's hands of course, how else do you know what the blocker does while in mid-air. Deciding at the last moment makes it possible to find that free direction any time.