ECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH11
Introduction The unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic offered an opportunity to study the effect of audience presence on athletic performance. This research focused on professional golf, an individual sport where performance can be quantitatively measured, providing a clear view of the impact of spectators. Drawing on theories of social facilitation [2, 3] and psychological pressure[4], this study aimed to explore how the presence, absence, and limited presence of spectators influenced PGA TOUR golfers performances over the 2018-2022 seasons. This exploration is rooted in the broader context of how environmental factors affect athletic performance, contributing to the ongoing discussion in sports psychology and performance analysis. Methods The performance of 832 professional golfers across five seasons (103 00 golf rounds) of the PGA TOUR was analysed before, during and after audience restrictions. Performance metrics were examined using two-level linear mixed models [1]. Results The findings revealed a complex relationship between audience presence and golfer performance. Overall, players performed best in the absence of spectators. Conversely, the presence of an audience following the pandemic showed better performance levels than with audience before the pandemic, indicating a possible effect of the decision making learned without an audience. Notably, experience and skill level of the players did not interact with these results. Discussion The study highlights the nuanced interplay between athlete performance and audience presence, suggesting that presence of spectators influence professional golfers performance. This research extends the understanding of social facilitation in sports, emphasizing the need for personalized approaches in athlete preparation and coaching. Future research directions include using underlying performance measurements to understand what parts of the game where the players performed differently, qualitative interviews to get the players experiences of playing with and without an audience and physiological measurements to further understand what might cause the differences. References: 1. Aarts, E., et al., A solution to dependency: using multilevel analysis to accommodate nested data. Nature neuroscience, 2014. 17(4): p. 491-496. 2. Zajonc, R.B., Social Facilitation. Science, 1965. 149(3681): p. 269-274. 3. Böheim, R., D. Grübl, and M. Lackner, Choking under pressure – Evidence of the causal effect of audience size on performance. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2019. 168: p. 76-93. 4. Jane, W.-J., Choking or excelling under pressure: Evidence of the causal effect of audience size on performance. Bulletin of Economic Research, 2022. 74(1): p. 329-357.
Read CV Erik LundkvistECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH11
Introduction Trait mindfulness is considered as that an individual applies mindfulness abilities regardless of situation or time, and this trait is also believed to be associated to the ability to assign attention and regulate emotions. For golfers who are likely to stress during competition, stability of emotional and attentional will have an effect on performance. Moreover, the frontal midline theta power (Fmθ) is an important neurophysiological indicator of putting performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether trait mindfulness could predict putting performance and Fmθ. Methods Thirty-two male golfers were recruited for this study. After completing the Chinese Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, each participants took 60 golf putting tests, and EEG was used to record the cortical activity. Simple linear regressions were performed to examine the association among trait mindfulness, EEG, and putting performance. Results The results of the study showed trait mindfulness could positively predict both the Fmθ, explaining 14.2% of the variance (R2=.142, F=6.477, p=.016), and putting performance, explaining 12.3% of the variance (R2=.123, F=5.610, p=.024). Moreover, Fmθ could positively predict putting performance, which explained 16.8% of the variance (R2=.168, F=7.657, p=.009) Conclusion This study provided scientific evidence of trait mindfulness positively predicting putting performance and the Fmθ. Individuals with higher trait of mindfulness had a better putting performance and showed greater Fmθ, and with greater Fmθ means better top-down sustained attention. It is suggested that brains connectivity responses could be implemented in future studies to gain a better insight of the relationship between the trait mindfulness and skill-related neural networks.
Read CV Chih-Yen ChangECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH11
Introduction The Theory of Reinvestment predicts that pressure negatively impacts expert players’ execution of perceptual-motor skills, due to conscious reinvestment of explicit knowledge about how to perform the skills (i.e., ‘conscious motor processing’). The current project examined whether trait reinvestment and conscious motor processing can explain effects of pressure in ‘execution-only’ and ‘dynamic’ performance situations, where opponents’ actions may require the sudden cancellation or adaptation of ongoing movement. Methods Across four studies, experienced football players performed shots on goal against a goalkeeper and defending players who either stood still (‘execution-only’; Study 1, n = 30) or who occasionally moved to intercept players’ shots (‘dynamic’), in which case players were instructed to completely inhibit (Study 2, n = 15) or redirect their shots (Study 3, n = 30; and Study 4, n = 30). Performance pressure was manipulated by means of an evaluative audience or a combination of contingencies (monetary reward, video recording, error feedback). Players’ trait reinvestment was determined with the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale. Conscious motor processing was assessed using established questionnaires or by means of a skill-focused dual-task. Measures of performance included shooting accuracy, inhibition/redirection success, reaction- and shot completion times. Results Findings from Studies 1 and 2 indicate that pressure did not significantly impact conscious motor processing or shooting accuracy. In Study 2, anticipated goalkeeper movement, caused attention to shift away from the target and towards the goalkeeper (p =.003), resulting in reduced shooting accuracy (p = .01). Furthermore, players who were characterized as high trait reinvestors showed greater inhibition success under pressure (p = .04). Studies 3 and 4 are currently ongoing and results will be available at the time of presentation. Discussion Findings thus far suggest that anticipation of goalkeeper movement (i.e., dynamic performance situations), negatively impacts target-related attention and shooting accuracy in football players. In addition, findings suggest that pressure may facilitate inhibitory performance in those players who go about their skill execution in a deliberate and self-conscious manner. Results from Studies 3 and 4 will reveal whether these results extend to situations where players redirect rather than inhibit their shots in response to goalkeeper/defender movement and further uncover potential benefits of trait reinvestment.
Read CV Robyn SullivanECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH11