Choking under pressure: Illuminating the role of distraction and self-focus

Roberts, Leo; Jackson, Mervyn; Grundy, Ian H.

doi:10.1080/1750984x.2017.1374432

Cited by 39 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…The applied implications of these findings are quite interesting, given athletes can consider using SPB as a quick fix to address inhibition failures. SPB may therefore help to address choking under pressure, which can be triggered by inhibition failures according to the distraction account (Roberts et al, 2017). Finally, the use of SPB could be investigated in many domains where inhibition failures would lead to unwanted behavior with serious consequences, for example police officers shooting or medical doctors operating.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Slow-Paced Breathing on Inhibition After Physical Exertion

et al. 2019

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This research aims to investigate whether slow-paced breathing (SPB) improves adaptation to psychological stress, and specifically inhibition, when it is performed before or after physical exertion (PE). According to the resonance model, SPB is expected to increase cardiac vagal activity (CVA). Further, according to the neurovisceral integration model, CVA is positively linked to executive cognitive performance, and would thus play a role in the adaptation to psychological stress. We hypothesized that SPB, in comparison to a control condition, will induce a better adaptation to psychological stress, measured via better inhibitory performance. Two within-subject experiments were conducted with athletes: in the first experiment ( N = 60) SPB (or control – neutral TV documentary) was realized before PE (“relax before PE”), and in the second experiment ( N = 60) SPB (or the watching TV control) was realized after PE (“relax after PE”). PE consisted of 5 min Burpees, a physical exercise involving the whole body. In both experiments the adaptation to psychological stress was investigated with a Stroop task, a measure of inhibition, which followed PE. Perceived stress increased during PE (partial η 2 = 0.63) and during the Stroop task (partial η 2 = 0.08), and decreased during relaxation (partial η 2 = 0.15), however, no effect of condition was found. At the physiological level PE significantly increased HR, RF, and decreased CVA [operationalized in this research via the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD)] in both experiments. Further, the number of errors in the incongruent category (Stroop interference accuracy) was found to be lower in the SPB condition in comparison to the control condition, however, these results were not mediated by RMSSD. Additionally, the Stroop interference [reaction times (RTs)] was found to be lower overall in “relax before PE,” however, no effect was found regarding SPB and Stroop interference (RTs). Overall, our results suggest that SPB realized before or after PE has a positive effect regarding adaptation to psychological stress and specifically inhibition, however, the underlying mechanisms require further investigation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Slow-Paced Breathing on Inhibition After Physical Exertion

et al. 2019

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“…The core components of the flow experience do appear to be functional for task performance (Fong et al, 2015;Landhäußer & Keller, 2012) in the context of sport, or aligned tasks like Esports or computer gaming. These include intrinsic motivation, high levels of concentration, and focusing on the goal not the self, all of which are likely to provide performance benefits (Hagger & Chatzisarantis, 2007;Roberts et al, 2019;Yarrow et al, 2009). Additionally, the experience of anxietywith its negative consequences for skill execution (Eysenck & Wilson, 2016;Nieuwenhuys & Oudejans, 2012)seems to be absent from flow.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between flow states and performance

Harris

Allen

Vine

et al. 2021

International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology

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Flow is an optimal experience that has received particular interest within sport because of a possible relationship with enhanced athletic performances. Yet, the strength and direction of the putative flow-performance relationship remain unclear. Consequently, a PRISMA guided systematic review was conducted in May 2020 to examine the empirical evidence for a flowperformance relationship, to examine potential mechanisms, and to assess the quality of current evidence. Peer-reviewed articles that examined the relationship between flow and performance in sport or computer gaming tasks were searched for using five online databases. The results were collated into a narrative synthesis and a meta-analysis. Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria, featuring 22 studies that were appropriate for metaanalysis. The overall quality of the studies was fairly good, with a mean quality assessment score of 76.5% (SD = 9.7). The pooled effect size (r = 0.31, 95% CI [0.24; 0.38]) indicated that across a range of sport and gaming tasks there was a medium-sized flowperformance relationship. However, current evidence is unable to determine the causal direction of this relationship or the mechanisms that mediate it. A number of conceptual and methodological challenges facing the study of flow are discussed and recommendations for future work are outlined.

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“…This impairment has been termed choking and occurs when a performer exhibits a negative response to perceived pressure, despite striving to perform well (Baumeister, 1984;Beilock & Gray, 2007;Hill et al, 2010). Irrespective of whether this breakdown occurs due to the disruption of automated motor processes or distraction via worry (see, (Payne et al, 2018;Roberts et al, 2017)for recent reviews), there remains a persistent puzzle surrounding who copes and who chokes under pressure (Hill et al, 2010;Otten, 2009). Attentional Control Theory: Sport (ACTS; Eysenck & Wilson, 2016), aims to address this gap by not only describing the effect of anxiety on performance, but by considering how anxiety arises in the first place.…”

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confidence: 99%

Psychological pressure and compounded errors during elite-level tennis

Harris

Vine

Eysenck

et al. 2021

Psychology of Sport and Exercise

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Objectives: In the context of Grand Slam tennis, we sought to examine how situational pressure and prior errors can disrupt subsequent performance in elite performers.Methods: A retrospective analysis of more than 650,000 points across 12 Grand Slam tennis tournaments from 2016-2019 was conducted to identify pressurised in-game moments and unforced errors. A scoring system was used to index situational pressure based on the current match situation (e.g., break points, stage of the match) on a pointby-point basis. The occurrence of performance errors was identified based on double faults and unforced errors, as instances of controllable mistakes. Results: A mixed effects logistic regression model revealed that an increase in the pressure index (a 1-5 score) significantly increased the probability of a performance error (ps<.001), as did an error on the preceding point (OR=1.2, 95%CI [1.17, 1.23], p<.001). A multiplicative effect of pressure and prior errors also emerged, as the negative impact of prior errors on performance was greater when situational pressure was already high, in line with the predictions of Attentional Control Theory: Sport (ACTS). Analyses of the distribution of winners and unforced errors across individual players revealed that winning players were as susceptible to pressure and prior errors as losing players. Conclusions: These findings extend our understanding of how ongoing feedback from prior mistakes may further exacerbate the effects of pressure on performance.

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Choking under pressure: Illuminating the role of distraction and self-focus

Cited by 39 publications

References 79 publications

Influence of Slow-Paced Breathing on Inhibition After Physical Exertion

Influence of Slow-Paced Breathing on Inhibition After Physical Exertion

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between flow states and performance

Psychological pressure and compounded errors during elite-level tennis

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