Choking under monitoring pressure: being watched by the experimenter reduces executive attention

Choking under monitoring pressure: being watched by the experimenter reduces executive attention.

Performing more poorly given one's skill level ("choking") is likely in situations that offer an incentive if a certain outcome is achieved (outcome pressure) or when one is being watched by others-especially when one's performance is being evaluated (monitoring pressure). According to the choking literature, outcome pressure is associated with reduced executive control of attention, whereas mo...

Choking under social pressure: social monitoring among the lonely.

Lonely individuals may decode social cues well but have difficulty putting such skills to use precisely when they need them--in social situations. In four studies, we examined whether lonely people choke under social pressure by asking participants to complete social sensitivity tasks framed as diagnostic of social skills or nonsocial skills. Across studies, lonely participants performed worse ...

Understanding Skilled Performance: Memory, Attention, and Choking under Pressure

Choking and excelling under pressure.

Decrements in performance on cognitive tasks resulting from pressure to perform (i.e., choking) are thought to be caused by interference with the ability to use explicit strategies (the distraction theory). This view suggests that pressure should improve performance on tasks for which explicit strategies hamper performance. This hypothesis was tested by giving subjects one of two nearly identic...

Choking Under Pressure on the PGA Tour

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