Question of Choking

The purpose of this study was to explore and better capture the concept of choking under pressure by operationally redefining it. Choking was examined using a Bayesian approach to internal psychological crisis and the evaluation of the four psychologically meaningful time phases (beginning/ end 1st half and beginning/end 2nd half) of a basketball game. Fifty-three participants were randomly assigned into 2 groups (game half) to further evaluate performance decline and choking as a function of time, score gap, and game half. Within each group participants viewed 8 scenarios, which featured a different player making an error or experiencing some level of performance decline, and rated the extent of performance decline, the instance of choking, and the salience of various performance attributions to the error. The presence of choking was most salient in the 2nd half of the game, as hypothesized but participants identified an error as choking more frequently in the beginning of the 2nd half. This trend was also shown for participant perception of performance decline. Participant ratings of performance attributions however revealed that in the end of the 2nd half participants rated attributions, particularly time pressure and lack of concentration, the highest. These results provided solid evidence in opposition to the leading definition of choking and provided further evidence for better understanding of the complex phenomenon. The additional implications for this study and future research are discussed in detail.