Choking (choking under pressure) refers to the paradoxical phenomenon where skilled performance suddenly collapses in high-stakes situations. According to explicit monitoring theory, pressure increases self-focused attention directed at movement execution, causing procedural knowledge that was previously automatized to revert to conscious control, disrupting fluency. This is frequently observed in decisive sports moments and high-stakes examinations, with the counterintuitive characteristic that highly skilled experts are more susceptible than novices due to having more automated processes vulnerable to de-automatization.
Cognitive Mechanisms of Choking
Two primary theoretical accounts explain choking. Explicit monitoring theory proposes that pressure heightens self-consciousness, directing conscious attention toward procedural knowledge that normally operates automatically, thereby de-automatizing skilled performance. Another account holds that pressure generates anxiety and failure-related worry that consume working memory resources, leaving insufficient cognitive capacity for task execution. Both mechanisms may operate simultaneously, with their relative contribution depending on task type and individual anxiety profiles.
Why Experts Are More Vulnerable
A paradoxical feature of choking is that it affects skilled performers more than novices. Beginners have not yet automatized their movements, so there is no automatic process to disrupt through conscious monitoring. Experts, however, possess highly refined motor programs that operate below conscious awareness. When pressure triggers de-automatization, their performance can break down. In typing, someone who normally types fast may make more errors once they start consciously monitoring their keystrokes.
Prevention and Coping Strategies
One coping approach is pressure acclimatization training: practicing under conditions that simulate competitive pressure. For example, you can take tests while being observed or with self-imposed stakes. Another is maintaining an external focus (attending to movement outcomes rather than movement processes). During a test, thinking "respond to the screen change" rather than "move my finger quickly" is an example of an external focus.