“Choking” is a term used across many activities, with phrases like “I choked that exam” or “2018 Lebron choked in the finals” symbolizing the concept of losing. While often used as slang, the term also relates to the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis, which examines how stress levels affect performance. In high-stakes scenarios, an individual’s mentality can be significantly impacted. The hypothesis measures whether performance increases with higher stress or stimuli.
Let’s put this in the context of basketball: a player’s performance is dependent on the situation. If the game is very close, then the players are playing very hard, and the performance rises exponentially. If the game is a blowout, then the starters are subbed out, and the performance of the players decreases dramatically. Often, performance is dependent on who the player is and the situation. There are exceptions, such as MVP candidates, generational talents, or consistent players. These players usually shine regardless of the situation, unless it is an off night. I believe that basketball is a consistent game that is dictated by the players’ performance, pace, and stake.
The study that is being examined is the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis being applied to the NCAA. The study examines whether free throws are a good metric in proving the hypothesis to be valid for basketball games. In basketball, a free throw usually occurs when someone is about to shoot and is fouled or if a team is over a certain number of fouls. Players are usually allowed two free throw attempts, depending on other fouls, but these are usually easy points for teams to make. The study believes that free throws are one of the most effective ways of measuring pressure and skill (Blechner et al., 2025). Free throw attempts do dictate the game because they are used as a means of strategy. If a team is down in the second half, they usually start fouling in order to stop the clock and have more possessions to score, but that comes with the tradeoff of a higher deficit to overcome. Contributing to pressure and skill free throws dictate the pacing and shooting skill. Good shooters and clutch players usually score free throws to help their teams win. However, I do not believe that this study accurately represents the hypothesis due to a lack of data and empirical evidence.
Often, basketball games are reflected based on the consistency of players, the pace of the game, and the stakes. The study only measures free-throw averages to assume the hypothesis is true. However, no variables about pace, stakes, and pressure were ever recorded. Yes, I do believe that these types of variables are hard to grasp, but I would do this study differently. The researchers sampled data for the 2021 to 2022 college basketball season, which I think is good, but the way the data was used is what I don’t agree with. I think there should be variables of pace, pressure, and stakes. Pace being if the teams play on a high pace style, if there were points scored based on turnovers, or if there were points scored quickly. Another being pressure, being how the player is playing in the environment they are in. This can be measuring performances in home games vs away games, rivalry games, or anything that can cause a player to play differently. Lastly, in college, players often play to make the NBA, and draft placement is often dictated by how well they compete throughout their college careers.
Other citations also help with what I am saying about external factors. Offensive skill, defensive effort, and plays are all factors in how the game is played. If we don’t measure those, then we are leaving crucial data. This is all skill and player dependent, players under defensive pressure often have to change performance being release mechanics, positioning, or style of plays (Li et al., 2024). These factors set the game not just free throws; they are a factor, so measuring them is vital. The study doesn’t further capture all the components of basketball, skewing the data.
Overall, the playstyle of college basketball could not sufficiently answer the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis, but I believe that the overall study wasn’t done correctly. I believe that free throws are not enough information to determine the accuracy of the hypothesis. I say sufficient, as it could determine the pace and pressure of the game, affecting the playstyle, but it is not enough to prove the hypothesis. I think if time, quarter, pace, score, and other metrics were there, then the study could be more accurate. Think about the study when the model is based upon all metrics of the game, then it can accurately represent the proper values that can equate to the hypothesis’s validity.
In the end, the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis has the ideology that as mental stress occurs, the performance of an individual will exponentially rise. This study does accurately introduce it, but the way the study took place was not truly accurate. Lack of other variables led the study to be more generalized than factual. However, if there were more variables to train the model upon, then it would perhaps give a better answer for the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis. In the end, the Yerkes-Dodson Hypothesis can be proven with basketball if all metrics were accounted for.
References
Blechner, D., Grove, W., Lantis, R., Nesson, E., & Sanders, S. (2025). Does Pressure Affect Performance? An Evaluation of the Yerkes–Dodson Hypothesis with NCAA Basketball Performance and a Continuous Measure of Pressure to Win. American Behavioral Scientist, 00027642251366046.
Li, F., Dukarić, V., Očić, M., Li, Z., & Knjaz, D. (2024). Influence of fatigue and defensive pressure on three-point jump-shot kinematics in basketball. Applied Sciences, 14(20), 9582.
