From the lab to the field: effects of self-talk on task performance under distracting conditions

This study explored the effectiveness of self-talk strategies on task performance under conditions of external distraction in laboratory and field experiments. In the laboratory experiment, 28 sport science students (mean age 21.48 ± 1.58 years) were tested on a computer game requiring attention and fine execution following a baseline assessment and a short self-talk training. In in the field experiment, 28 female basketball players (mean age 20.96 ± 4.51years) were tested on free-throwing, following a baseline assessment and a six-week intervention. In both settings the final assessment took place under conditions of external distraction (non-continuous, sudden, loud noise). Analyses of covariance showed that participants of the self-talk group performed better than participants of the control group. Findings suggest that self-talk can counter the effects of distraction on performance, and indicate that the attentional effects of self-talk is a viable mechanism to explain the facilitating effects of self-talk on performance.