An Analytical Investigation of Instructions Designed to Elicit Test Anxiety

1971 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 283-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Kilby Long ◽  
David W. Bessemer
Keyword(s):  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
English Word ◽  
Analytical Investigation ◽  
Performance Decrement ◽  
Reliable Performance ◽  
High Test ◽  
Three Components

Components of motivating instructions typically used to elicit performance decrements in high test-anxious Ss were investigated to determine whether: (a) the mention of a test, (b) identifying the test as an intelligence measure, or (c) suggesting evaluation in relation to a peer-group is primarily responsible for the observed decrement. High and low test-anxious Ss were given 12 paired-associated lists of common English word pairs, and experimental instructions between the 8th and 9th lists. Analyses of post-instruction changes in PA anticipation responses showed significant differences only between the instruction containing all three components and the control condition. The magnitude of the reliable performance decrement produced by the instructions was inversely related to Ss' level of performance before the instructions were given, and no decrement occurred for most Ss at the highest levels of pre-instructional proficiency. Increased emphasis might well be given to the analysis of effects of test anxiety on changes in individual performance.

Test anxiety, evaluative stress, and susceptibility to distraction from threat

2001 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmund Keogh ◽  
Christopher C. French
Keyword(s):  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Focused Attention ◽  
Attentional Resources ◽  
Specific Trait ◽  
Selective Search ◽  
Task Irrelevant ◽  
High Test ◽  
Specific Susceptibility

Examinations are perhaps one of the main methods of assessment in education. Unfortunately, there are some individuals who are so fearful of such events that performance is impaired. Test anxiety is believed to be the trait that predisposes individuals to react negatively to examinations and tests. One way in which it is believed that test anxiety affects performance is by increasing susceptibility to distraction from task‐irrelevant material. However, few studies have directly investigated this impairment. An experiment was therefore conducted to investigate susceptibility to distraction in high and low test‐anxious students. The task used was based on one developed by Mathews, May, Mogg and Eysenck (1990), which distinguishes between focused attention and selective search. In order to determine whether a specific susceptibility to distraction exists, the distractors were varied in terms of valence and relevance to examinations. Since test anxiety is a situation‐specific trait, an evaluation‐related stressor was used to trigger test‐anxious reactions. A specific susceptibility to distraction from threat was found amongst high test‐anxious participants who received the evaluation‐related stressor. However, this effect was only found when participants were using focused attention. This suggests that the disturbed performance often found to be associated with test anxiety might be due to an inability to ignore threatening material when attempting to focus attentional resources. These results are discussed in light of current theories of test anxiety and implications for educational practice. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Brief Research Report - Text Anxiety in Adolescents

1995 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-32
Author(s):  
Neville J. King ◽  
Leesa Tinney ◽  
Angelique Mietz
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Clinical Interview ◽  
Research Report ◽  
Interview Schedule ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Text Anxiety ◽  
Report Text ◽  
High Test

ABSTRACTA large sample of adolescents were screened for test anxiety using the Test Anxiety Scale for Children (TASC). Subjects with low and high scores on the TASC were then compared in a structured clinical interview (Interview Schedule for Children, ISC). The high test anxious adolescents showed a significantly greater preponderance of disorders, particularly anxiety disorders. We argue that these findings have implications for counsellors and psychologists working in school settings.

scholarly journals Contradictory yet Coherent? Inconsistency in Performance Feedback and R&D Investment Change

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 658-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardus J. M. Lucas ◽  
Joris Knoben ◽  
Marius T. H. Meeus
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Performance Feedback ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Feedback Signal ◽  
Opposite Case ◽  
Theoretical Mechanism ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

In this paper, we study to what extent inconsistent feedback signals about performance affect firm adaptive behavior in terms of changes made to research-and-development (R&D) investments. We argue that inconsistency in performance feedback—based on discrepancies between two distinct performance signals—affects the degree to which such investments will be changed. Our aim is to show that accounting for inconsistent performance feedback is necessary as predictions for the direction of change in R&D investments based on the individual performance feedback signals are contradictory. Furthermore, we contribute by proposing a holistic consideration mechanism as an alternative to the selective attention mechanism previously applied to inconsistent performance feedback. Our findings show that the impact of inconsistency depends on the exact configuration of the underlying performance feedback signal discrepancies. While consistently negative performance feedback signals would amplify their impact in stimulating increased R&D investments, inconsistent performance feedback signals created more nuanced effects. Having lower performance compared to an industry-based peer group—despite doing well compared to the previous year—made firms decrease their R&D investments. For the opposite case of inconsistent performance feedback, we did not find an effect on change in R&D investments. These findings support to a degree our contention that explaining the effects of inconsistent performance feedback requires a holistic consideration theoretical mechanism instead of one involving selective attention. In sum, these findings suggest future research should take into account the differences between distinct instances of inconsistent performance feedback.

scholarly journals The Moderator Effect of Test Anxiety in the Relationship between Test Expectancy and the Retention of Prose

2003 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 961-971
Author(s):  
Alexander E. Minnaert
Keyword(s):  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Retention Test ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
General Intelligence ◽  
Memory Retention ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Moderator Effect ◽  
Test Expectancy ◽  
Anxious Group ◽  
High Test

The effect of test expectancy and test anxiety on the retention of prose is not yet profoundly examined in an ecologically valid learning context. The influence of test expectancy, test anxiety, and differences in intelligence on the retention of prose was addressed in the hypothesis that test anxiety would act as a moderator between test expectancy and memory retention of prose. Also examined was whether this relation would still be valid if differences in general intelligence were controlled. University freshmen ( N = 292) participated. Analysis indicated that test anxiety acted as a moderator between test expectancy and prose memory performance, even after controlling for differences in general intelligence. The low and high test-anxious group expecting a retention test seemed to profit from positive arousal elicited by the expectedness of a retention test. The high test-anxious group not expecting a retention test performed in a rather detrimental way on a retention test given negative arousal elicited by the unexpectedness of a retention test. Implications for further research are elaborated and discussed.

Test Anxiety in Girls and Boys: A Clinical—Developmental Analysis

1996 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret K. Warren ◽  
Thomas H. Ollendick ◽  
Neville J. King
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Attitude Inventory ◽  
Ability Tests ◽  
Academic Grades ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
High Test

A large sample of children and adolescents were screened for test anxiety using the Test Attitude Inventory (Spielberger, 1980). Subjects with low and high test anxiety were then compared on self-report measures of trait anxiety, depression, and fear and then asked to report their thoughts and level of distress following an imagined test. Academic grades and performance on standardised achievement and ability tests were also obtained. High test-anxious children and adolescents reported higher levels of trait anxiety, depression, and fear as well as greater distress and cognitive interference during the imagined test. They also obtained lower grades and performed more poorly on the standardised measures. Age effects moderated these findings. Discussion focuses on the clinical and developmental implications of the findings.

scholarly journals Association of Test Anxiety with Temporomandibular Disorder in Health Professions Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Alamri ◽  
Suliman Shahin ◽  
Eman A. Bakhurji ◽  
Ahmed A. Alsulaiman ◽  
Zainah Salloot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Adjusted Odds Ratio ◽  
Temporomandibular Disorder ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
High Test

Objective. To assess the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and its association with text anxiety among undergraduate medical, dental, and pharmacy students in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Material and Methods. This cross-sectional study included health professions students who responded to Fonseca’s questionnaire and Test Anxiety Inventory by Spielberger to evaluate TMD and test anxiety, respectively. TMD score was compared in different categories of students, and bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses evaluated the influence of test anxiety on TMD. Results. The study included 884 participants (44.8% males and 55.2% females) with a mean age of 21.46 ± 1.36 years. Regarding items of Fonseca’s questionnaire, most students reported being tense/nervous (65.7%) and had headaches (57.5%). About 45.8% of the participants reported no TMD, and remaining had mild (40.4%), moderate (11.3%), and severe (2.5%) TMD. The mean TMD score was significantly higher in students with high test anxiety (25.6 ± 18.32) than those with low test anxiety (20.25 ± 16.97) ( P < 0.001 ). Mean test anxiety scores significantly differed among TMD categories ( P < 0.001 ) with the lowest score in the no TMD group and the highest in the moderate TMD group. Female gender (adjusted odds ratio 1.4, P 0.039) and high test anxiety (adjusted odds ratio 1.92, P < 0.001 ) were significantly associated with increased odds of having TMD. Conclusions. The study revealed a high prevalence of TMD among students. There was a significant association between test anxiety and TMD. The data obtained may guide preventive policies and program on test anxiety and TMD.

Response Time and Test Anxiety

1974 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 479-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigmund Tobias ◽  
John J. Hedl ◽  
Nelson J. Towle
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Response Latencies ◽  
High Anxious ◽  
Latency Analysis ◽  
High Test ◽  
And Task

This study sought to test the interpretation that high test-anxiety students performed more poorly on difficult material because they divided their attention between personally relevant and task-relevant concerns more than did low-anxiety individuals. It was reasoned that such division of attention ought to require more time for high-anxious students on difficult items and hence result in longer response latencies. A mathematical test containing both easy and difficult items was administered to 80 students on computer terminals. Results indicated that high-anxious students performed more poorly on the difficult items than low-anxious students. High-anxious students had higher levels of state anxiety during the testing than the low-anxious students. The latency analysis, however, failed to confirm the hypotheses.

Confidence-Weighting and the Validity of Achievement Tests

1986 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank D. Bokhorst
Keyword(s):  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Achievement Tests ◽  
Criterion Validity ◽  
Introductory Psychology ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Multiple Choice Test ◽  
Correct Alternative ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
High Test

Investigated was the criterion validity of confidence-testing as applied to a multiple-choice test in introductory psychology. Examinees made confidence judgements in addition to choosing the correct alternative. The test was scored conventionally with a penalty for guessing and again using confidence-weightings. Over-all achievement for the academic year in psychology was the criterion for validity. There was greater reliability but no improvement in validity. High test anxiety was associated with low confidence and poor achievement.

scholarly journals Wind Turbine Bearing Temperature Forecasting Using a New Data-Driven Ensemble Approach

Machines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 248
Author(s):  
Guangxi Yan ◽  
Chengqing Yu ◽  
Yu Bai
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
Imperialist Competitive Algorithm ◽  
Analytical Investigation ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Mode Decomposition ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Reliable Performance ◽  
Temperature Forecasting ◽  
Turbine Bearing

The bearing temperature forecasting provide can provide early detection of the gearbox operating status of wind turbines. To achieve high precision and reliable performance in bearing temperature forecasting, a novel hybrid model is proposed in the paper, which is composed of three phases. Firstly, the variational mode decomposition (VMD) method is employed to decompose raw bearing temperature data into several sub-series with different frequencies. Then, the SAE-GMDH method is utilized as the predictor in the subseries. The stacked autoencoder (SAE) is for the low-latitude features of raw data, while the group method of data handling (GMDH) is applied for the sub-series forecasting. Finally, the imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) optimizes the weights for subseries and combines them to achieve the final forecasting results. By analytical investigation and comparing the final prediction results in all experiments, it can be summarized that (1) the proposed model has achieved excellent prediction outcome by integrating optimization algorithms with predictors; (2) the experiment results proved that the proposed model outperformed other selective models, with higher accuracies in all datasets, including three state-of-the-art models.

scholarly journals Designing a system for performance appraisal: balancing physicians’ accountability and professional development

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Bindels ◽  
Benjamin Boerebach ◽  
Renée Scheepers ◽  
Annemiek Nooteboom ◽  
Albert Scherpbier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Academic Medical Center ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Appraisal System ◽  
Appraisal Process ◽  
Peer Conversation

Abstract Background In many healthcare systems, physicians are accustomed to periodically participate in individual performance appraisals to guide their professional development. For the purpose of revalidation, or maintenance of certification, they need to demonstrate that they have engaged with the outcomes of these appraisals. The combination of taking ownership in professional development and meeting accountability requirements may cause undesirable interference of purposes. To support physicians in their professional development, new Dutch legislation requires that they discuss their performance data with a non-hierarchical (peer)coach and draft a personal development plan. In this study, we report on the design of this system for performance appraisal in a Dutch academic medical center. Methods Using a design-based research approach, a hospital-based research group had the lead in drafting and implementing a performance appraisal protocol, selecting a multisource feedback tool, co-developing and piloting a coaching approach, implementing a planning tool, recruiting peer coaches and facilitating their training and peer group debriefings. Results The system consisted of a two-hour peer-to-peer conversation based on the principles of appreciative inquiry and solution-focused coaching. Sessions were rated as highly motivating, development-oriented, concrete and valuable. Peer coaches were considered suitable, although occasionally physicians preferred a professional coach because of their expertise. The system honored both accountability and professional development purposes. By integrating the performance appraisal system with an already existing internal performance system, physicians were enabled to openly and safely discuss their professional development with a peer, while also being supported by their superior in their self-defined developmental goals. Although the peer-to-peer conversation was mandatory and participation in the process was documented, it was up to the physician whether or not to share its results with others, including their superior. Conclusions In the context of mandatory revalidation, professional development can be supported when the appraisal process involves three characteristics: the appraisal process is appreciative and explores developmental opportunities; coaches are trustworthy and skilled; and the physician has control over the disclosure of the appraisal output. Although the peer-to-peer conversations were positively evaluated, the effects on physicians’ professional development have yet to be investigated in longitudinal research designs.

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