Quote:
Originally Posted by Elrazor
Can you cite research to support this statement?
Professional athletes are notoriously superstitious. It's not something psychologists work to change (unless it has a scientific basis for being maladaptive to performance) and in many cases a psychologist will work with an athlete to create pre-performance routines, which could also be defined as "superstition".
No, I can't. I've read no more than one or two things worthy of citation on this subject.
The reason psychologists don't try to change them is because they work. Take placebos, for example, which have been proven to be effective. Say a new mother struggles with Postpartum depression from her first child. The father, a rogue Psychologist, then mentions that consuming placenta can help with depression. Next kid arrives and the wife goes ahead and consumes placental capsules and doesn't get depressed. Whether it was a placebo or not isn't material -- only a scumbag husband or friend would try to convince the mother that she's doing a stupid thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mason Malmuth
Hi TrustyRombone:
Interesting stuff, Mason. You are correct in your assertion that the unifying psychological locus of improvement (re: poker) involves becoming more intimate with the core strategies and concepts of the game. But I think there is something you overlooked in assessing OP's mental leaks.
There is a second component, aside from math, that many seasoned professionals take for granted. Mental strength also comes from a cluster of innate attributes: memory, depth and speed of processing and recall, pattern recognition, and emotional control are all inhibited based on something simplified as "stress." It is harder to think a hand through when it is for the rest of your savings, for example. If doing charitable acts puts OP in a stronger mindset than he would be otherwise, then he shouldn't change a thing.
However, he, or anyone in the position he was in four years ago when this thread was made, should definitely learn more math and stop looking to work on easier, yet inaccessible things like subconscious desires and motivation, of course. That should come last.