Ironically, People Who Have the Highest Capacity for Success are the Most Likely to Choke Under Pressure
February 14, 2005
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(HealthNewsDigest.com)...New research
published in the latest issue of Psychological Science finds that individuals
higher in working memory capacity (HWM) are more likely to be negatively
impacted by performance pressure on math tests than those lower in working
memory capacity (LWM). Working memory is a short-term system that holds
information relevant to performance and ensures task focus. HWMs have superior
attentional allocation capacities— more resources, which they use on a regular
basis. “However, if this attention capacity is compromised, e.g. by worries
about the situation and its consequences, high working memory individuals’
advantage disappears,” the authors explain. Under low-pressure conditions,
HWMs outperform LWMs. However, when the pressure is on, HWMs failed, while LWMs
performance did not deviate from their, albeit lower, scores.
Ninety-three Michigan State University undergraduates were analyzed. They were
divided into HWM and LWM groups based on their scores on two working memory
tests. They completed one low-pressure and one high-pressure test, each
consisting of twenty-four math problems. The former was treated as practice,
while the latter was presented in a high-pressure environment involving commonly
seen real-world pressure. Participants were told they were part of a “team
effort” where an improved score would earn both team members a monetary reward
(monetary incentives and peer pressure). They were also told they were being
videotaped so local math teachers and professors could evaluate them (social
evaluation). Since working memory is known to predict many higher levels
function, this report questions the ability of high-stakes tests e.g. SAT, GRE,
LSAT, MCAT to predict who are most likely to succeed in future academic
endeavors.
This study is published in the current issue of Psychological Science. To
receive a pdf of this article please contact journalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.net
The flagship journal of the American Psychological Society , Psychological
Science publishes authoritative articles of interest across all of psychological
science, including brain and behavior, clinical science, cognition, learning and
memory, social psychology, and developmental psychology.
Sian Beilock is an Assistant Professor in the area of Brian & Cognitive
Sciences in the department of Psychology at Miami University of Ohio. Dr.
Beilock’s research focuses on skill expertise and “choking under
pressure.”
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