Proposal On Choking Under Pressure

Something that has always been in my life and repeatedly been said to me, or mentioned is that during a sporting event everything is mental. Now what I have always wondered was that everything in the mental game is based on one’s own preferences, the way one thinks and processes information and how he reacts to a situation. There are various components of an athlete’s mental game such as motivation, agility, confidence; all of which contribute in actual competitions, games or even at practice. More importantly, confidence is more complex because it is what is affected most of the mental game, that’s what makes or breaks an athlete, and that can be affected by a coach, parent, or negative teammate, it’s not just personal thoughts reflecting

According to research, learning is negatively affected by cortisol. Cortisol is introduced when stress enters the system. Cortisol is a hindrance to learning because it directly prevents any new concepts to sink into the brain. Our brain reacts this way because the brain runs at a high speed. Therefore, Bergland states that,

Through the use of self-reporting systems, athlete trainers utilize several instruments to identify any present postconcussion signs and

As Jana developed choking while playing she “began thinking of her shots and lost her fluidity, her touch” as the author said in the essay in pg. 267 (first paragraph, second sentence). The author describes Chocking as a failure, as he says “to choke or to panic is the same to quit”. Malcolm Gladwell gives a description to what “choking” is in the world of sports. “Choking is when a person under stress begins to focus more on how they are doing or on other things that they then begin to lose track of what they are doing.

Mental practice proves to be beneficial when individuals of every skill level use it as a tool in preparation for the performance of a motor skill. From novice learners acquiring new skills to professional athletes visualizing the movement and allowing for maximum readiness going into a competition, mental imagery can provide an advantage when combined with physical practice. It can be used at various times including the learning phase and even during the completion itself. When an athlete visualizes how they will perform, it in a way sets them up for wither success or failure, depending on their anxiety levels and other factors. The articles above all point toward one common idea, the idea that when mental practice when combined along with physical practice, can benefit the results of the individual. The timing of the practice does not matter whether it be in the learning phase of new skill acquisition or prior to the performance of a well-learned skill, there can be

In order to test this hypothesis, three human subjects were subjected to various mental activities in the form of quizzes of increasing difficulty (low, medium, and high stress). Before the experiment, each test subject was given a pre-survey to fill out. The answers each subject gave in their pre-survey allowed us to explain or understand any anonymous data that was obtained. The pre-survey asked questions about the subject’s lifestyle, such as how many hours a week they work, study, or sleep. The subjects were asked if they often exercise, solve puzzles, or if they have test anxiety. We also asked each subject to rank their average stress level, their current stress level, and how often they meditate or partake in de-stressing activities.

Gulgin et al (2014) explored physiological requirement with a more applied outlook, linking fourteen common swing faults (kinematics to the detriment of performance), as identified by literature, to shared functional screening methods used by certified golf coaches the USPGA. With

There is anxiety that is only situational, state anxiety, and anxiety that is general, trait anxiety. Researchers in this study wanted to know if state and trait anxiety could calculate a correlation coefficient with the emotional stroop. They also wanted to identify whether trait or state anxiety would have a stronger association with performance on the emotional stroop. Researchers hypothesized that both state and trait anxiety would be able to be calculated with a strong, positive correlation coefficient and that state anxiety would have a stronger association with performance on the emotional stroop.

The current study used symmetry index as an indicator of coordination but no differences were found between the conditions. Another measure of coordination has been seen in research using electromyography (EMG) and it has been shown that external AF cues lead to efficient muscular contraction and better motor control performance. For example, Zachery et al. had participants shooting free-throw tasks under both internal and external AF conditions. EMG activity was measured from the biceps and triceps of the shooting arm. Their results demonstrated that with external focus shots were more accurate and EMG activity was lower with biceps and triceps19. In another study, Wulf et al. had participants complete the vertical jump-and-reach task and measured their jump height and EMG activity of lower-limb musculature. Their findings showed participants jumped higher and had EMG activity generally lower when focusing attention externally compared to focusing attention internally20. Lastly, Marchant et al. had participants complete isokinetic elbow flexion contractions using a Biodex. Authors reported a net joint torque at the elbow was larger and the EMG activity of the bicep brachii was decreased under external AF conditions 21. None of the studies above measured force production but claim enhanced neuromuscular control allowed for greater force generation. Therefore, when directing attention externally during max force generation tasks, muscle coordination patterns are optimized producing more efficient and effective

Loosli, Rahm, Unterrainer, Weiller, and Kaller (2013) conducted a study investigating life span development of item-specific proactive interference in individual’s working memory. Postle, Brush, and Nick (2004) found that proactive interference is previous important information in working memory (as cited in Loosli et al., 2013). Baddeley (1997) found that working memory is the power to maintain information for a short period of time and manipulate the information (as cited in Loosli et al., 2013). There are two types of proactive interference; the first one being item-nonspecific proactive interference. This type is when someone remembers information while performing another task that is no longer relevant to the current task they are performing.

If a student has test anxiety, however, he or she may not perform as well on these important tests as they typically would if they weren't experiencing a lot of anxiety. A new study indicates that writing about one's anxieties before an important exam may help a student perform significantly better on that test. The research was conducted by Dr. Sian Beilock and her colleagues. Beilock is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Chicago and an expert in, "choking under pressure." "Choking under pressure," refers to the phenomenon that occurs when one performs below his or her ability or skill level during an especially challenging task or experience. Beilock has also written a book entitled Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To. According to Psych Central, Beilock has done prior research that has shown pressure-filled experiences or situations may reduce working memory, which is part of the brain's processing power. Our working memories allow us to recall information needed to perform everyday tasks. However, working memory has limited processing power, so when worries creep up, the ability to recall and retrieve information becomes limited. Prior research has also indicated expressive writing where individuals write about emotional or traumatic experiences repeatedly over weeks decreases worries in individuals who are depressed. The current study aimed to determine if writing in a classroom could help students perform better on tests. Additionally, the researchers hypothesized that just one opportunity to write before taking a test would reduce worries and improve exam scores. In one experiment, the researchers recruited 20 college students to take two short mathematics tests. The researchers instructed the students to simply do their best on the first test (pre-test).

Every person’s working memory varies in many different ways. It still remains unclear whether individual variation is a result of

Zillmann, Johnson, and Day (1974) approached the concept of competitive salience between the first and second stimulus differently. In addition to varying the aggressive provocation first experienced by participants and the time between exposures to each stimulus, Zillmann et al. incorporated the factor of individual differences in SNS recovery proficiency following excitation. In a pretest, researchers subjected each participant to a fixed amount of strenuous exercise and then tracked each participant’s systolic blood pressure (an indicator of sympathetic excitation) back to baseline. Researchers then blocked participants into three levels of recovery from exercise: high proficiency (those who recovered fastest), intermediate proficiency

These are: (1) a bias against stimulus change, (2) a tonic readiness for action, and (3) processing under tight attention controls. Some of the tasks that elicit the dominance of activation mode include activities which increase cognitive and/or somatic anxiety such as vigilance, escape, avoidance or ‘pressure’ tasks (Deffenbacher, 1994). When assessing the effectiveness of a condition of heightened stress, it should be compared with another condition that is demonstrably lower in stress (or even free from stress), where the arousal mode of attention control is predominant (Tucker and Williamson, 1984). When the activation mode is dominant, there is a notable deceleration of heart rate and lowered blood pressure (Lacey and Laceym 1974). Deffenbacher (1994) concluded that if a task elicits the arousal mode of attention control, the memory will be enhanced for the most important and informative aspect of the

The proposed research question is whether using different cognitive control tasks (the Simon, Stroop, or Flanker’s task),