Gender differences in the determinants of choking under pressure: Evidence from penalty kicks in soccer.

Objective: In this article, we aim to determine whether there are gender differences about the importance of psychological pressure at the time of the penalty kick event in soccer. Soccer is a formidable framework because it is easier to disentangle the psychological aspects from clearly observable actions, strategies, and outcomes. We are interested in identifying whether there is choking under pressure, a phenomenon characterized by individuals performing worse than they would under the absence of factors that trigger stress. Methods: Four different pressure mechanisms are considered and tested using data from all 494 penalty kicks in the top male and female soccer tournament. Results: Our findings show that the stress mechanisms considered affect scoring rates; however, we fail to identify statistically significant differences by gender. Conclusion: Therefore, the design of programs aimed to help choking‐prone individuals should not over‐emphasize gender differences in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]