School of Human Movement Studies, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2010 Feb;32(1):61-83. doi: 10.1123/jsep.32.1.61.
Although researchers have experimentally examined the mechanisms underlying pressure-induced forms of suboptimal performance, or "choking under pressure," there is a lack of research exploring the personal experience of this phenomenon. In an attempt to fill this void in the literature, this study explored experienced golfers' perceptions of the choking experience within a personal construct psychology (Kelly, 1955/1991) framework. Both male and female golfers participated in either a focus group (n = 12; all males) or one-on-one interview (n = 10; female = 7, male = 3) using experience cycle methodology (Oades & Viney, 2000) to describe their perceptions of the choking experience. Discussions were transcribed verbatim and subsequently analyzed using grounded theory analytical techniques (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Analyses revealed five central categories representing the personal experience of choking under pressure: antecedents, personal investment, choking event, consequences, and learning experiences. The findings reported here suggest that the choking phenomenon, which can involve acute or chronic bouts of suboptimal performance (relative to the performance expectations of the athlete), is a complex process involving the interplay of several cognitive, attentional, emotional, and situational factors. Implications of the findings for a construct definition of choking are discussed, and several applied considerations are offered.
尽管研究人员已经在实验中研究了压力导致的次优表现（即“压力下的窒息”）的机制，但对于这种现象的个人体验的研究还很缺乏。为了填补文献中的这一空白，本研究在个人建构心理学（凯利，1955/1991）框架内探讨了有经验的高尔夫球手对窒息体验的看法。男性和女性高尔夫球手都参与了焦点小组（n=12；均为男性）或一对一访谈（n=10；女性=7，男性=3），使用经验周期方法论（Oades 和 Viney，2000）来描述他们对窒息体验的看法。讨论内容逐字转录，并随后使用扎根理论分析技术（Strauss 和 Corbin，1998）进行分析。分析揭示了代表压力下窒息个人体验的五个核心类别：前因、个人投入、窒息事件、后果和学习经历。这里报告的研究结果表明，窒息现象，即涉及急性或慢性次优表现（相对于运动员的表现预期），是一个涉及几个认知、注意力、情绪和情境因素相互作用的复杂过程。讨论了对窒息的建构定义的发现的影响，并提出了一些应用注意事项。
