- Khelifa Bartura is a doctoral fellow at the Department of Sports and Social Sciences at NIH.
- On August 22, he will defend his thesis: "Understanding Ironic Performance Breakdown Under Pressure Unwanted thoughts, cognitive task load, and shooting
performance: Implications for elite athletes" - Read the thesis at nva.sikt.no
- Learn more about the project
- Watch the defense live on NIH’s YouTube channel.
About the study
Have you ever experienced your mind betraying you at the worst possible moment—
freezing during a critical presentation, missing a crucial shot, or watching an Olympian
stumble on a simple move they have nailed countless times?
Even the most skilled athletes can falter under pressure, not because they lack skill, but because their own thoughts become their worst enemy.
Imagine the legend William Tell, forced to shoot an apple off his son's head. As he takes
aim, his mind floods with fears: "What if I miss?" or "Do not hit my child!"
The harder he tries to suppress these thoughts, the more they intrude—like being told "Don't think of a pink elephant" guarantees you will.
Ironically, trying not to make a mess up make mistake more likely—a phenomenon known as an ironic error.
Yet despite its real-world consequences, little research examines whether elite performers—those who trains relentlessly for high-stakes moments—succumb to these mental traps.
My dissertation tackles this gap.
First I review existing evidence on ironic errors in motor performance under pressure. Then, using a Stroop rifle shooting task (where the brain clashes with itself, like shooting "red" when the word blue appears in red), I test whether
elite biathletes are vulnerable to ironic errors due to unwanted thoughts under pressure.
Finally, I test a theory-matched strategy to counteract these errors under cognitive load.
The central question: Why does our brain rebel—and how to fix it when it matters most?
Whether aiming a gold-medal shot or responding to an emergency, making errors shouldnot be part of the equation.
Results
- Instruction like "Do not screw up" often backfires under pressure.
- Telling yourself (or others) "Do not shake!" or "Do not miss!" makes the mistake
more likely. This holds true under high-cognitive load conditions.
- Performers fixate on what they are trying to avoid, leading to the very error they
wish not to commit.
2. Elite biathletes defy this effect.
- Biathletes stay laser-focused even when negative cues are primed frequently,
regardless of pressure, showing no ironic shooting errors or delay in hitting the
intended target.
- Years of high-pressure training and competition seem to rewire their brain to ignore
negative commands and lock in on the intended target, showing their self-regulation
and resilience.
3. Positive, action-focused instruction beats negative framing.
- Swapping "Do not shoot X" for "Ignore X" (or "Aim for Y") reduces ironic errors, especially when pressure is high, resulting in consistent and good performance.
- It is not just what you say—it is how you say it.
The bottom line? Under pressure, ditch the "don'ts." Train the brain to focus on what to do, not what to avoid—because where attention goes, performance follows.
Program
- 10:15 – 11:00: Trial lecture on a given topic: "Heart rate variability and performance under pressure: Neurophysiological mechanisms, theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches, and applications in high-stakes environments"
- 13:00 – 16:00 Defense of the thesis
Committee:
Chair: Live Luteberget, Associate Professor, NIH Opponents: Professor Tommy Haugen, University of Agder PhD-Reader Greg Wood, Manchester Metropolitan University
Supervisors:
Main Supervisor: Associate Professor Frank Abrahamsen, Department of Sports and Social Sciences,
NIH Co-Supervisor: Professor Henrik Gustafsson, Department of Sports and Social Sciences, NIH
The defense will be led by: Rector Aage Radmann
Practical information
The defense is open to all and will be streamed on NIH’s YouTube channel.