Here's another pertinent book, reviewed in brief by Nature today. So experts, minds brimming with facts, are more likely to choke.
- Joanne Baker Nature 467 , 785 (14 October 2010) doi:10.1038/467785a Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To Sian Beilock Free Press 304 pp. $26 (2010) When the pressure's on, we've all 'choked' — hit the wrong note, flunked an exam or messed up an interview. Cognitive psychologist Sian Beilock explains why. Describing how memory works, she shows that experts whose minds brim with facts are more likely to freeze than novices. Social stereotyping also leads us to underperform. Beilock's solutions for big occasions are simple: reaffirm your self-worth, write away your worries and keep practising. If the worst happens, pause and refocus. -- rec --
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