Separating chokers from nonchokers: predicting real-life tennis performance under pressure from behavioral tasks that...

Area of Science:

• Sports Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuroeconomics

Background:

• Athletes underperform under pressure, a phenomenon known as choking.
• Understanding the cognitive and neurobiological factors contributing to choking is crucial for performance enhancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the roles of working memory (WM) capacity and dopamine system responsiveness in predicting athletic performance under pressure.
• To identify behavioral markers associated with performance decrements during high-stakes situations.

Main Methods:

• Competitive tennis players completed the Automated Operation Span task (AOSPAN) to measure WM capacity.
• Risk-taking propensity, as a proxy for dopamine system responsiveness, was assessed using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART).
• Performance during decisive sets was recorded and analyzed in relation to AOSPAN and BART scores.

Main Results:

• Higher AOSPAN scores (indicating greater WM capacity) positively predicted better performance in decisive sets.
• Higher BART scores (indicating greater risk-taking/dopamine responsiveness) negatively predicted performance in decisive sets.
• WM capacity and risk-taking behavior significantly predicted real-life tennis performance under pressure.

Conclusions:

• Working memory functioning and risk-taking behavior are key predictors of athletic performance under pressure.
• The ability to maintain working memory function under pressure differentiates athletes who choke from those who do not.
• These findings suggest potential targets for interventions aimed at mitigating choking in athletes.