Athletes 'Choking', Stereotype Threat, and Laurie Anderson

I have found modern psychology's model of our two modes of thinking profoundly informative (one automatic, reflexive and fast; the other slow, reflective, and thorough) in many ways.

Years ago, I did a presentation to the faculty on stereotype threat (simply knowing that others might pre-judging you because of race or gender can handicap your performance).

Recently, I heard part of a piece on the radio about athletes choking under pressure and it all came together for me:  these are all manifestation of the same thing!  When you should be doing something reflexively ('fast' thinking) but some extra awareness throws you into a meta state (thinking 'slow'), you get all messed up.  These two mental modes are at their best in an "OR" state rather than an "AND" state.

I was trying to put all these ideas together and I could hear Laurie Anderson singing "Baby Doll" to me from 1989 (From her awesome Strange Angels album):

"I don't know about your brain-

But mine is really bossy

...

And then I hear this voice

Comin from the back of my head

Yep! It's my brain again

And when my brain talks to me, he says:

..."

Often I love listening to my brain talk to me.  But sometimes, I wish my brain would just make up his mind!