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Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
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Interactions between performance pressure, performance streaks, and attentional focus.

Rob Gray1, Jonathan Allsop

  • 1School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology
|August 23, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Performance under pressure in baseball is linked to recent performance history. Success or failure during pressure situations, and subsequent performance, are influenced by attentional focus and prior streaks.

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Area of Science:

  • Sports Psychology
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Human Performance

Background:

  • Performance under pressure is a critical aspect of sports psychology.
  • Understanding the influence of preceding events and subsequent outcomes on pressure performance is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how preceding performance history influences pressure performance in baseball batters.
  • To examine how pressure outcomes affect subsequent performance.
  • To explore the role of attentional focus in these dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • A baseball batting simulation was employed with college players.
  • Participants were classified into performance groups (normal, cold streak, hot streak) based on prior at-bats.
  • Pressure performance was assessed, followed by post-pressure performance evaluation and secondary tasks measuring attentional focus.

Main Results:

  • Pressure performance was significantly related to immediate pre-pressure performance history; the normal group performed worst.
  • Post-pressure performance was influenced by both the pressure outcome and pre-pressure performance.
  • Performance changes correlated with shifts in attentional focus, as indicated by secondary task accuracy.

Conclusions:

  • Recent performance history critically impacts success under pressure.
  • Attentional focus mediates the relationship between performance history, pressure events, and subsequent performance.
  • These findings have implications for training and performance strategies in high-pressure environments.