The Impact of Pressure on Performance
For most people, most of the time, mild to even high levels of pressure is generally pretty helpful.
Mental Skills Training Doesn’t Solve Swing Issues
If you've got an inconsistent swing, no matter how many psychological strategies you employ, you should expect that you're going to hit some wayward shots.
Neurofeedback Training in Elite Performance
The brain is clearly an area where there is potential for marginal gains. Everybody's doing nutrition, strength and conditioning at the elite level these days. The brain is potentially an area for marginal gains.
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1:06 - Academic and Professional Journey: Dr. Cooke discusses his background in sports science, performance psychology, and psychophysiology, including his current roles and research interests.
2:13 - Defining Psychophysiology: Dr. Cooke explains psychophysiology as the study of interactions between psychological and physiological processes, using tools like brainwave and cardiac activity measurements.
3:02 - Mechanisms Underpinning Performance: Dr. Cooke provides an example of how psychological feelings of pressure can manifest physiologically and impact performance.
4:08 - Causes of Performance Breakdown: Dr. Cooke outlines pathways such as overthinking, loss of attentional control, and appraisals, and how they affect performance.
6:00 - Attentional Pathways and Ironic Processes: Dr. Cooke discusses attentional pathways and the impact of fixating on specific threats during performance.
8:01 - Research on Pressure and Performance: Dr. Cooke introduces his study on isolated pressure conditions and their different psychophysiological and behavioral responses.
9:00 - Study on Isolated Pressure Conditions: Dr. Cooke details a study with novice golfers testing various isolated pressure conditions and measuring their psychophysiological responses.
13:20 - Key Findings on Pressure Conditions: Dr. Cooke shares that traditional pressure conditions generally improved performance, while demand-based pressures had adverse effects.
16:30 - Impact on High-Level Athletes: Dr. Cooke discusses how these findings might translate to higher-level golfers and the need to magnify pressure conditions for experts.
18:42 - Neurofeedback Training: Dr. Cooke explains neurofeedback as a technique to help individuals self-regulate brain activity and improve performance.
23:02 - Neurofeedback Study on Conscious Motor Control: Dr. Cooke describes a study on neurofeedback training to decrease conscious motor control and its implications for performance.
31:16 - State and Future of Neurofeedback: Dr. Cooke discusses the potential and challenges of neurofeedback in high-performance sports and the importance of individualized approaches.
34:32 - Unilateral Hand Contractions: Dr. Cooke explains unilateral hand contractions as a technique to influence brain hemisphere dominance and improve performance.
37:42 - Golf Putting Study on Hand Contractions: Dr. Cooke discusses a study on pre-performance unilateral hand contractions and their subtle impact on performance.
41:42 - Practical Implications for Golfers: Dr. Cooke emphasizes self-awareness and individualized strategies for athletes and coaches, suggesting various psychological techniques.
44:10 - Balancing Technical and Psychological Training: Dr. Cooke advises focusing on technical aspects alongside psychological strategies for both novice and expert golfers.
47:04 - Reflecting on Performance: Dr. Cooke highlights the importance of reflecting on performance to identify patterns and tailor strategies.
48:01 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts: Dr. Cooke reiterates the importance of self-awareness and tailored psychological strategies, expressing excitement for future research.
Resources
Book Recommendation #1: Skill Acquisition in Sport
Book Recommendation #2: Handbook of Sport Psychology
Book Recommendation #3: Methods in Social Neuroscience
Book Recommendation #4: Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice
Paper #1: Some pressures are more equal than others: Effects of isolated pressure on performance
Dr. Andrew Cooke’s Google Scholar Page - Link
Institute for the Psychology of Elite Performance (IPEP) - Link
Bangor University School of Psychology and Sport Science - Link
Bangor University Performance Psychology Online Course - Link
About Dr. Andrew Cooke
Dr. Andrew Cooke is a lecturer conducting research in Psychophysiology, Sport Psychology, and Skill Acquisition. He is particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms that underpin human performance and psychophysiological interventions to enhance performance (e.g., brain training). He works with a number of high-profile organizations in sport, business, and health. Dr. Cooke is a member of the Institute for the Psychology of Elite Performance (IPEP) and leads the Psychophysiology of Performance Laboratory (POP-Lab).
Psychophysiology w/ Dr. Andrew Cooke