Choking Under Pressure

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Choking Under Pressure
Michael Hoerger
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Choking Under Pressure

• Performing worse than expected on an important
  task
• Examples
• Missed golf putt or free throw
• Bombing an exam
• Mind going blank

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Types of Tasks

• Physical vs. Cognitive tasks
• Controlled vs. Automatic
• Controlled require attention
• Automatic do not require attention, speedy

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Automatic Physical Tasks

• Professional sports, experienced driving, sex,
  speaking, playing guitar
• Through practice, physical tasks become
  well-learned and automatic
• Self-consciousness (embarrassment, shame,
  anxiety) disrupts automatic processing ? choking

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Avoiding Choking Automatic Tasks

• In advance
• Practice under high-pressure conditions
• In the moment
• Distraction from self-consciousness
• Speed it up
• Use a routine to facilitate engagement in
  automatic processing

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Controlled Physical Tasks

• Learning to drive, conducting surgery, learning
  to play video games, learning to ballroom dance
• Performing novel physical tasks requires
  controlled attention
• Distractions hog cognitive resources needed for
  attention ? choking

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Controlled Cognitive Tasks

• ACTs, exams, spelling bees, giving a speech
• Performing complex cognitive tasks requires
  controlled attention
• Distractions hog cognitive resources needed for
  attention ? choking

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Avoiding Choking Controlled Tasks

• In advance
• Overlearn Practice, practice, practice
• Practice under high pressure condition
• In the moment
• Anything to reduce anxiety breathing or muscle
  relaxation, challenge beliefs that are causing
  pressure

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Stereotype Threat

• Stereotypes yuppie, feminist, liberal, White
  male
• Performance pressure created when success or
  failure would support a stereotype
• Can affect any group, but historically most
  stereotypes have been against females and
  minorities

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A Threat in the Air

• 2,800 women and minorities fail to get calculus
  AP credit each year due to stereotype threat
• Leads to disidentification and avoidance to
  maintain self-esteem
• Public policy against stereotypes is key

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• Michael Hoerger
• To cite this lecture
• Hoerger, M. (2007, March 26). Choking Under
  Pressure, Skilled Performance, and Stereotype
  Threat. Presented at a PSY 220 lecture at Central
  Michigan University.