Self‐Consciousness, Self‐presentation, and Performance Under Pressure: Who Chokes, and When?

Abstract

Choking under pressure by persons low and high in self‐consciousness was examined as a function of two sources of performance pressure: audience and performance feedback. Subjects competed with an alleged opponent on a psychomotor task while alone, before a supportive (same team) audience, or a nonsupportive (opposing team) audience. Before the critical trial, subjects learned that their team was either somewhat ahead of or somewhat behind the opposing team. Self‐consciousness, audience, and feedback interacted to affect performance during the critical trial. When disappointing the audience was likely, subjects low in self‐consciousness choked. Subjects high in self‐consciousness tended to choke when they were told that their team had fallen behind. It is suggested that persons who are low and high in self‐consciousness experience different types of performance pressure due to disparate self‐presentational motives.

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