ABSTRACT
The conscious mind is sometimes seen as getting in the way of doing things well. But are there good reasons to think that consciousness is generally detrimental to skilled performance? My aim in this chapter is to critically analyze what I see as the three central reasons wielded in support of the idea that conscious attention impedes skilled performance: experimental data indicates that conscious attention to skill precipitates choking under pressure, certain actions proceed too quickly for conscious thought, and experts are frequently unable to recall what they do in their domain of skill. I conclude by offering some reasons to accept that online conscious thought about what you are doing is compatible with expertise.
