A Paradigm for Experimental Modification of the Effects of Test Anxiety on Cognitive Processes

Abstract

Test anxiety refers to a state of uneasiness, discomfort, fear, or nervousness which an individual may experience when he perceives that his performance is going to be evaluated. The way in which test anxiety is manifested depends on its extent, the situation in which it is aroused, and the individual's characteristic mode of response. Accordingly, anxiety may be manifested in a number of ways varying from admission of nervousness to denial of warranted fear, from avoidance or impulsive blundering through test situations to overly meticulous caution. Test anxiety usually lowers performance in complex learning and problem-solving situations (Spence & Spence, 1966). The major causes of performance decrement are believed to be failure to attend to relevant parts of the task, intrusion of irrelevant thoughts which interferes with synthesis of task-relevant data, and withdrawal from the task in order to avoid anxiety (Sarason, Davidson, Lighthall, Waite & Ruebush, 1960). The interference of anxiety with cognitive processes has long been recognized (Freud, 1925; Taylor & Spence, 1952; Farber & Spence, 1953, Spielberger, 1966). Moreover, recent studies have shown that test anxiety has a cumulatively adverse effect on IQ measures and school performance throughout the elementaryschool years (Sarason, et al., 1960; Hill and Sarason, 1966), and is a major cause of failure in college (Spielberger 1962). However,