Performance under pressure: A new perspective on why we fail—or rise to the occasion

The decisive penalty kick in a final, match point in tennis or the last attempt in a competition: When a lot is at stake, even a well-practiced performance can suddenly break down. Yet pressure does not necessarily impair performance. Some people perform at their best precisely in the moments that matter most. Existing accounts can only partly explain why.

Researchers from the German Sport University Cologne, together with colleagues from New Zealand, are now offering a new perspective on this question.

In their article “Beyond attention: Performance pressure shifts information-processing complexity,” recently published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, they challenge existing accounts by focusing on a largely overlooked aspect: Under pressure, changes may occur not only in which information receives our attention but also in how that information is processed, integrated and translated into action.

Between simplification and complexity

For many years, research has examined how attention shifts under pressure. Do we start to consciously control highly automatized movements? Do we get distracted by the audience or by our own thoughts? These perspectives can help explain why performance deteriorates under pressure. However, they provide a less complete explanation of why people sometimes perform exceptionally well under pressure.

The new perspective therefore starts from a different question: How do we process the information we attend to? The authors propose that performance under pressure can be understood in terms of the complexity of information processing. People may process information according to simpler rules—for example, by combining fewer pieces of information or by controlling a movement as one integrated unit.

Conversely, processing may become more complex when multiple pieces of information are combined or when individual movement components are controlled separately. Neither form of processing is inherently better.

“Neither simplification nor complexity is automatically better. What matters is whether the way information is processed fits the task and can be implemented reliably by the individual,” explains Dr. Laura Voigt, a researcher at the German Sport University Cologne and principal investigator of the project.

A penalty kick provides a simple example. A player may rely on one piece of information provided by the coach. A more complex decision rule, by contrast, may integrate several sources of information—such as the goalkeeper’s position, movement and known tendencies.

The researchers use the term “task-matched complexity” to describe a level of information-processing complexity that is well matched to both the task and the individual. Pressure can alter this balance. Simplification may help when a person was previously processing unnecessary information, but it can be detrimental if relevant information is discarded.

Conversely, more complex processing can be beneficial when additional information is needed, but may impair performance if it introduces unnecessary or difficult-to-implement processing steps.

The framework therefore offers a possible explanation for why both choking—a drop in performance under pressure—and exceptionally good performance may arise from changes in the same underlying process.

New questions for research

The publication is a theoretical article. The authors bring together existing empirical findings and theoretical perspectives and develop them into a new perspective for understanding performance under pressure. The predictions derived from this perspective now need to be tested empirically.

In the longer term, the perspective also raises new questions for training and practice. Rather than generally advising athletes to “think less” under pressure or to consider as much information as possible, future research could focus more closely on which form of information processing is actually helpful in a given situation.

“Our approach makes it possible not only to investigate why performance breaks down under pressure, but also which forms of information processing may help people access their potential when it matters most,” says Voigt.

Who’s behind this story?

Swati Mestri

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space.

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Robert Egan

Bachelor’s in mathematical biology, Master’s in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language.

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