#349 - The Science Behind Why We Choke Under Pressure

Neuroscientists Steven Chase & Aaron Batista chat with Trey Elling about research they conducted on monkeys to learn why we struggle to learn under pressure. Topics include:

• The genesis of this research (1:34)
• How the monkeys were tested (2:23)
• The monkeys’ ‘jackpot’ (3:35)
• What the research found (4:41)
• The activity in the monkeys’ brains (5:51)
• The role of the motor cortex (7:41)
• Examining rhesus macaques over bonobo chimps (9:46)
• What led Steven and Aaron to studying the brain (11:37)
• Defining ‘the mind’ (15:14)
• Examples where Steven and Aaron failed AND succeeded under pressure (18:54)