Keep your fingers crossed! How superstition improves performance

Psychological Science

Volumn 21, Issue 7, 2010, Pages 1014-1020

  Damisch, Lysann ^a   Stoberock, Barbara ^a   Mussweiler, Thomas ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE   (Germany)

Author keywords

Performance; Self efficacy; Superstition

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; FEMALE; HUMAN; MALE; MEMORY; MOTOR PERFORMANCE; PHYSIOLOGY; PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT; SPORT; STUDENT; SUPERSTITION; TASK PERFORMANCE; PSYCHOLOGY;

FEMALE; HUMANS; MALE; MEMORY; MOTOR SKILLS; SPORTS; STUDENTS; SUPERSTITIONS; TASK PERFORMANCE AND ANALYSIS;

EID: 77954876909     PISSN: 09567976     EISSN: 14679280     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0956797610372631     Document Type: Article

References (40)

1. Albas, D., & Albas, C. (1989). Modern magic: The case of examinations. Sociological Quarterly, 30, 603-613.
2. Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215.
3. Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
4. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
5. Bandura, A., & Schunk, D.H. (1981). Cultivating competence, self-efficacy, and intrinsic interest through proximal self-motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41, 586-598.
6. Buhrmann, H.G., & Zaugg, M.K. (1981). Superstitions among basketball players: An investigation of various forms of superstitious beliefs and behavior among competitive basketballers at the junior high school to university level. Journal of Sport Behavior, 4, 163-174.
7. Cronbach, L. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrica, 16, 297-334.
8. Crusius, J., & Mussweiler, T. (2010). To achieve or not to achieve? Assimilation and contrast in goal priming. Manuscript in preparation, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
9. Czech, D.R., Ploszay, A.J., & Burke, K.L. (2004). An examination of the maintenance of preshot routines in basketball free throw shooting. Journal of Sport Behavior, 27, 323-329.
10. Damisch, L., Mussweiler, T., & Plessner, H. (2006). Olympic medals as fruits of comparison? Assimilation and contrast in sequential performance judgments. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 12, 166-178.
11. Darke, P.R., & Freedman, J.L. (1997). Lucky events and beliefs in luck: Paradoxical effects on confidence and risk-taking. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 378-388.
12. Day, L., & Maltby, J. (2003). Belief in good luck and psychological well-being: The mediating role of optimism and irrational beliefs. The Journal of Psychology, 137, 99-110.
13. Day, L., & Maltby, J. (2005). With good luck: Belief in good luck and cognitive planning. Personality and Individual Differences, 39, 1217-1226.
14. Elliot, A.J., & Maier, M.A. (2008). Color and psychological functioning. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 250- 254.
15. Feltz, D.L., Short, S.E., & Sullivan, P.J. (2008). Self-efficacy in sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
16. Friedman, R., & Elliot, A.J. (2008). The effect of arm crossing on persistence and performance. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38, 449-461.
17. Gilovich, T. (1991). How we know what isn't so: The fallibility of human reason in everyday life. New York: Free Press.
18. Hill, R.A., & Barton, R.A. (2005). Red enhances human performance in contests. Nature, 435, 293.
19. Jahoda, G. (1969). The psychology of superstition. London: Allen Lane/Penguin Press.
20. Keinan, G. (1994). Effects of stress and tolerance of ambiguity on magical thinking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 48-55.
21. Keinan, G. (2002). The effects of stress and desire for control on superstitious behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 102-108.
22. Lobmeyer, D., & Wasserman, E.A. (1986). Preliminaries to free throw shooting: Superstitious behaviour? Journal of Sport Behavior, 9, 70-78.
23. Malinowski, B. (1954). Magic, science and religion and other essays. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
24. Markman, K.D., McMullen, M.N., & Elizaga, R.A. (2008). Counterfactual thinking, persistence, and performance: A test of the reflection and evaluation model. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44, 421-428.
25. Preacher, K.J., & Hayes, A.F. (2004). SPSS and SAS procedures for estimating indirect effects in simple mediation models. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 36, 717-731.
26. Raab, M., Masters, R.S.W., & Maxwell, J.P. (2005). Improving the 'how' and 'what' decisions of elite table tennis players. Human Movement Science, 24, 326-344.
27. Sarason, I.G. (1984). Stress, anxiety, and cognitive interference: Reactions to tests. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 929-938.
28. Schank, R.C., & Cleary, C. (1995). Engines for education. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
29. Schippers, M.C., & Van Lange, P.A.M. (2006). The psychological benefits of superstitious rituals in top sport: A study among top sportspersons. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 2532- 2553.
30. Schwartz, G., Merton, D., & Bursik, R.J. (1987). Teaching styles and performance values in junior high school: The impersonal, nonpersonal, and personal. American Journal of Education, 95, 346-370.
31. Shah, J. (2003). Automatic for the people: How representations of significant others implicitly affect goal pursuit. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 661-681.
32. Spielberger, C.D., Gorsuch, R.L., & Lushene, R.E. (1970). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
33. Stajkovic, A.D., & Luthans, F. (1998). Self-efficacy and work-related performance: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 240-261.
34. Treasure, D.C., Monson, J., & Lox, C.L. (1996). Relationship between self-efficacy, wrestling performance, and affect prior to competition. The Sport Psychologist, 10, 73-83.
35. Van Raalte, J.L., Brewer, B.W., Nemeroff, C.J., & Linder, D.E. (1991). Chance orientation and superstitious behavior on the putting green. Journal of Sport Behavior, 14, 41-50.
36. Vyse, A. (1997). Believing in magic: The psychology of superstition. New York: Oxford University Press.
37. Whitson, J.A., & Galinsky, A.D. (2008). Lacking control increases illusory pattern perception. Science, 322, 115-117.
38. Wiseman, R., & Watt, C. (2004). Measuring superstitious belief: Why lucky charms matter. Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 1533-1541.
39. Womack, M. (1992). Why athletes need ritual: A study of magic among professional athletes. In S.J. Hoffman (Ed.), Sport and religion (pp. 191-202). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
40. Zimmerman, B.J. (1995). Self-efficacy and educational development. In A. Bandura (Ed.), Self-efficacy in changing societies (pp. 202- 231). New York: Cambridge University Press.