An Examination of Ironic Effects in Air-Pistol Shooting under Pressure.

Recep Gorgulu

doi:10.3390/jfmk4020020

Abstract

This study aimed to test the incidence of ironic performance errors in elite air-pistol shooters. Previous research has revealed that, when shooters are anxious, avoidant instructions can cause ironic performance breakdown, especially in the unintended direction. Fifty-seven experienced air-pistol shooters were given specific instructions not to shoot to a certain part of a target, under low- and high-anxiety conditions, respectively. Results demonstrated that, when instructed not to shoot in a specific direction, anxious shooters did so a significant number of times. Interestingly, there was no difference in non-target non-ironic error, which provides specific support for Wegner’s theory of ironic processes of mental control in air-pistol shooting. Consequently, these findings illustrated that the combination of increased anxiety with avoidant instructions could lead to such unintended performance errors, called ironic error. Thus, understanding the mechanism of the anxiety-performance relationship may be a useful theoretical framework which could provide practical, instruction-based interventions to reduce susceptibility to ironic errors under pressure.

Highlights

The influence of anxiety on motor performance is one of the main areas of interest in performance psychology (e.g., [1,2,3,4])
Results revealed that performance deteriorated from the low- to high-anxiety conditions, and was characterised by an anxiety-induced increase in the number of darts landing in the to-be-avoided zone. These findings provide encouraging support for Wegner’s [11] ironic processes theory as an explanation for counter-intentional errors, including those that occur under anxiety, in motor performance
The combination of a high-pressure situation with negative instructions is potentially fraught with undesirable consequences that are perversely predictable

Summary

Introduction

The influence of anxiety on motor performance is one of the main areas of interest in performance psychology (e.g., [1,2,3,4]). Researchers have performed a great deal of research on determining the nature of the anxiety-performance relationship via conscious processing hypothesis [5,6], attentional control theory [7], and catastrophe models [8,9,10] These theories do not offer a mechanism through which anxiety can precisely elicit counter-intentional errors. Wegner’s [11] theory of ironic processes of mental control predicts that, when under mental load, one’s thoughts will break down in a precisely counter-intentional manner These errors are more severe than general errors and represent the worst possible scenario; that is, making a mistake that one least wants to make [12]. The cyclical operating process carries out intentional, effortful regulation by consciously searching for, and directing the individual toward, mental contents that will yield the desired outcome, or intended emotional state, known as the desired state. Both processes work with a single control system and operate together as part of a feedback loop that, under normal circumstances, provides effective mental control [11]

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