Figure 4.3 Internal distractions can
upset athletes’ concentration in
competitive situations
Unfortunately, few studies have been conducted by psychologists on the phenomenology
of distraction in athletes. This neglect of distractibility is attributable to two main
problems: one theoretical and the other methodological. First, for many years (e.g., dating
back to the multi-store model of memory; see Matlin, 2002, for details) cognitive
researchers assumed falsely that information flows into the mind in only one direction—
from the outside world inwards. In so doing, they ignored the possibility that information
(and hence distractions) could travel in the opposite direction—from our long-term
memory into our working memory system or current awareness. A second reason for the
neglect of internal distractions in psychology stems from a methodological bias.
Specifically, researchers focused on external distractions simply because they were easier
to measure than were self-generated distractions. As a result of this bias, the theoretical
mechanisms by which internal distractions disrupt concentration were largely unknown
until recently. Fortunately, Wegner (1994) developed a model which rectifies this
oversight by attempting to explain why people tend to lose their concentration ironically
or precisely at the most inopportune moment.
Briefly, Wegner’s (1994) theory proposed that the mind wanders because we try to
control it. In other words, when we are anxious or tired, trying not to think about
something may paradoxically increase its prominence in our consciousness. For example,
if you try to focus on falling asleep, you will probably achieve only a prolonged state of
wakefulness! Similarly, if you attempt to block a certain thought from entering your
mind, you may end up becoming more preoccupied with it. This tendency for a
suppressed thought to come to mind more readily than a thought that is the focus of
Sport and exercise psychology: A critical introduction 110