Enhanced Expectancies Improve Performance Under Pressure
Open accessAbstract
Beyond skill, beliefs in requisite abilities and expectations can affect performance. This experiment examined effects of induced perceptions of ability to perform well under generic situations of challenge. Participants (N = 31) first completed one block of 20 trials on a throwing accuracy task. They then completed questionnaires ostensibly measuring individual differences in the ability to perform under pressure. Enhanced-expectancy group participants were told that they were well-suited to perform under pressure, while the control group received neutral information. Subsequently, all participants completed another block of 20 trials on the throwing task, with their performance videotaped and under the assumption that they could secure a prize for themselves and a paired participant with successful performance. Both groups had similar accuracy scores on the first trial block. The enhanced-expectancy group significantly increased their throwing accuracy in the higher-pressure situation (second block), whereas the control group showed no change in performance. Furthermore, beliefs regarding performance under challenge predicted throwing accuracy on the second block. The present findings provide evidence that enhancing individuals' generic expectancies regarding performance under pressure can affect their motor performance.
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Enhancing performers' expectancies for generic performance under pressure increased throwing accuracy relative to control.
“In one study, enhancing performers' expectancies for generic performance under pressure increased their throwing accuracy relative to the control condition (McKay, Lewthwaite, & Wulf, 2012).”
From Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning (2016) · cites this paper as McKay, Lewthwaite, & Wulf, 2012
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Self-citation
- Authors
- McKay, B., Lewthwaite, R., & Wulf, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (US)
- University of Southern California (US)
- Corresponding author
- Wulf, Gabriele
- Venue
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2012
- Volume
- 3
- Pages
- 8-8
- ISSN
- 1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3265760
- OpenAlex
- W2060079245
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 7.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Sport Psychology and Performance
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Sports and Physical Education Research
- Keywords
- performance under pressure, expectancy, self-efficacy, ability beliefs, motor performance, throwing accuracy, challenges, performance anxiety, individual differences
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