When favourites fail: tournament trophies as reward cues in tennis finals

In tournaments in various sports that feature one-on-one competition, the trophy is sometimes prominently displayed near the athletes during the final. Based on recent research on subtle reward cues, we propose that such trophies have the potential to induce choking under pressure in the match favourites, who are known to be most at risk. To test this idea, we analysed real-life tennis performance data (service performance and rally performance) from professional tournaments. While favourites generally outperformed underdogs during rallies, they did not do so in finals in which (a) large amounts of money were at stake and (b) a trophy was on display near the court. These findings support the idea that tournament trophies may distract favourites by continuously reminding them of what is at stake, and via that route may severely thwart their performance.     

Choking interventions in sports: A systematic review

ABSTRACT

Choking under pressure describes suboptimal sport performance in stressful situations, which has led to two fundamental ‘choking’ models: distraction and self-focus. The purpose of this review was to provide an overview of empirical studies that have tested interventions used to alleviate choking. The systematic review includes 47 empirical studies published up to April 2017, including experimental, quasi-experimental, and single-case studies with athletes. These studies encompassed a variety of interventions (n?=?13) that were either distraction based or self-focus based. In addition, a third group – acclimatisation interventions – was identified. The results indicate that, in general, choking interventions based on both choking models and on acclimatisation provide a benefit to performance under pressure. The most reported effective interventions were pre-performance routines, quiet eye training, left-hand contractions, and acclimatisation training. The use of dual task was beneficial for performance under pressure but harmful when used in training. Mixed evidence was found for analogy learning, and null effects were reported for goal setting, neurofeedback training, and reappraisal cues. These results may help athletes and coaches select and implement effective strategies and methods to improve performance under pressure.     

对王进“压力下的‘Choking’：运动竞赛中努力的反常现象及相关因素”一文的述评

对王进（2005）的“压力下的‘Choking’：运动竞赛中努力的反常现象及相关因素”一文进行了简要述评。分析了choking现象的实践背景和理论背景（自动执行假说,流畅状态,运动技能学习,脑电）。重点讨论了该文的长处,认为：（1）对于竞赛心理调节具有明确的应用价值,对于自我意识研究具有明确的理论价值;（2）具有明确的探索指向;（3）描述的3项研究在一定程度上表现了科学探索的系统性;（4）该文表述的实验设计比较规范。