Abstract
Research from actual classroom examinations has provided equivocal support for the hypothesized relationship between test anxiety and thought content during evaluative tasks, whereas data from analogue studies consistently yield support for this relationship. In order to explicate this discrepancy, the present study assessed thought content during actual examinations by means of a measure utilized in analogue research—a measure of negative thought frequency. Furthermore, the study extended previous research by exploring performance, cognitive, and affective factors associated with a negative internal dialogue. Ninety-six university students completed a test anxiety measure at the beginning of the term, a cognitive appraisal questionnaire before each of five exams, and the Cognitive Interference Questionnaire immediately following each exam. Results indicated that test anxiety was significantly related to the frequency of negative thoughts on four of five exams. Past performance, grade expectations, subjective importance of the exam, perceived preparedness, and state anxiety influenced students' cognitions at different points in the term. Analyses investigating the test-retest reliability of students' CIQ scores suggested that negative thinking under examination stress may constitute a personality dimension that is separate from test anxiety.
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