Week 6 - Choking Under Pressure

Question 1

what is choking? (definition)

Answer 1

• Mesagno and Hill, 2013
• acute and considerable decrease in skill execution and performance when self-expected standards are normally achievable, and which is the result of increased anxiety under pressure

Question 2

Choking vs Underperformance

Answer 2

• there is a difference between the 2
• qual data shows different embodied experiences
• hard to identify a ‘significant, acute and considerable’ drop in performance and other failures (performer would know)

Question 3

what is a choke?

Answer 3

• perceived significant/catastrophic drop in performance
• critical moment
• loss of perceived control/self-regulatory loss
• retrieval of performance difficult
• avoidance coping

Question 4

Mechanisms for choking in sport

Answer 4

• perceived pressure causes anxiety which is either distraction or self-focus

Question 5

Self-focus theories

Answer 5

• Consciousness Processing Hypothesis (Masters, 1992)
• Explicit Monitoring Hypothesis (Beilock and Carr, 2001)

Question 6

Distraction theories

Answer 6

• Processing Efficiency Theory (Eysenck & Calvo, 1992) -> inefficient processes of task-relevant info
• Attentional Control Theory (Eysenck et al., 2007) -> anxiety encourages a shift to threat stimuli and increases stimulus driven (bottom-up) attentional processes, rather than goal directed (top-down)

Question 7

Moderators of choking

Answer 7

• trait anxiety
• reinvestment
• confidence
• stereotype threat
• perfectionism
• mental toughness
• impression motivation
• self-consciousness
• coping style/strategy

Question 8

mechanisms through which choking occurs

Answer 8

• skill type (heavily cognitive skills more susceptible to distraction; skills that require execution outside working memory more susceptible to self-focus and distraction)
• elite performers more vulnerable
• skill level

Question 9

consequences of choking

Answer 9

• negative st impact
• immediate negative impacts
• long term: adversity related growth (Joseph et al., 2012); significant negative impact of future performance and sometimes the individual

Question 10

self-focus interventions for choking

Answer 10

• haste
• hemispheric priming (Beckman et al., 2013)
• music
• PPR (including imagery, self talk, etc)
• simulated training

Question 11

distraction interventions for choking

Answer 11

• quiet eye
• simulated training
• PPR
• process goals
• mindfulness
• imagery
• self-talk
• bio/neurofeedback