Abstract
Test anxiety is a widespread and primarily detrimental emotion in learning and achievement settings. This research aimed to explore the autonomic nervous system (ANS) response patterns of test-anxious individuals in response to evaluative stress. By presenting a standard interview task, an evaluative scenario was effectively induced. Heart rate variability (HRV), a biomarker that can accurately reflect the ANS activity, was used to reflect the physiological responses of 48 high test-anxious subjects and 49 low test-anxious subjects. Results indicate that: (1) both groups show a significantly increased emotional arousal in the evaluative scenario; (2) high test-anxious individuals show a significantly decreased emotional pleasantness in the evaluative scenario, whereas low test-anxious individuals show no significant changes; (3) both groups show a significantly increased low-frequency HRV; (4) high test-anxious individuals show a significantly decreased high-frequency HRV and root mean square of successive heartbeat interval differences (RMSSD), whereas low test-anxious individuals remain stable. These findings suggest that high test-anxious individuals display an increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity and a decreased parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity in response to evaluative stress, while low-anxious individuals display an increased SNS activity and a stable PNS activity in response to evaluative stress.
Highlights
Test anxiety refers to an individual’s disposition to respond to excessive worry, intrusive thoughts, mental disorganization, tension, and physiological arousal when exposed to evaluative situations (Zeidner, 2014)
We found no significant difference in the ages of both groups (t = −1.12, p > 0.05, Cohen’d = −0.22) and found a significant difference in the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) scores of both groups (t = 19.93, p < 0.001, Cohen’d = 4.06)
We find that the emotional arousal and Ln LF values of both groups are significantly higher during the stress phase than during the baseline phase
Summary
Test anxiety refers to an individual’s disposition to respond to excessive worry, intrusive thoughts, mental disorganization, tension, and physiological arousal when exposed to evaluative situations (Zeidner, 2014). In China, more than 20% of college students, middle school students, and primary school students generally experience high test anxiety (Huang and Zhou, 2019). Students are frequently confronted with evaluative scenarios, including exams, interviews, public presentations, and athletic competitions. These scenarios that include evaluative elements (i.e., teacher invigilation, scoring by judges, classmate comparison, and video surveillance) induce students’ stress responses, as their performance in these scenarios may affect the opportunities for scholarships, advancement, or employment opportunities. Frequent exposure to evaluative stress is detrimental to students’ mental and physical health (Loft et al, 2007).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
