Are Auditory Distractions Disturbing and Detrimental to the Performance of Expert Golfers? A Field Experiment

Abstract

Although auditory distractions are prevalent and often seen as a threat to performance, relatively few studies have explored distraction effects in an applied sport context. This field experiment examined expert golfers' (n = 36) competitive performance in a normal and a distracting condition. The results displayed similar performance in the two conditions. Participants' responses to a postcompetition questionnaire generally suggested that they found auditory distractions below moderately disturbing and detrimental to their performance. Overall, our results contradict the popular consensus that distractions are disturbing and detrimental in motor performance contexts.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank WANG College of Elite Sports for their cooperation regarding this study.

FUNDING

The present research was funded by the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Bergen and the Meltzer Research Fund.