Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory
Published on: June 14, 2019
Test anxiety and intelligence testing: a closer examination of the stage-fright hypothesis and the influence of
1SCO Kohnstamm Institute for Educational Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Abstract:
The influence of test anxiety and the content of instruction (stressful versus reassuring) on measurements of intelligence were investigated. It was expected that components of test anxiety would show differential effects on test performance. A Latin Square design was used to unravel the effects of test type and test order. Furthermore, effects of type of instruction, stressful versus reassuring, were studied by means of a within-subjects design. Test anxiety was measured with the Revised Worry-Emotionality Questionnaire. Measurements for verbal ability, reasoning, and memory were administered. Performance on memory tests showed less vulnerability to test anxiety compared with the other tests, with a picture recall test being insensitive. The negative effect of test anxiety was mostly confined to the beginning of a test session, independent of the type of test. Partial support for the so-called stage-fright hypothesis was found. The effect of instructional content was equivocal.
Related Concept Videos
Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
Measures of Intelligence
Validity refers to how well a test measures what it claims to measure. An intelligence test should accurately assess intelligence rather than another characteristic, like anxiety. Criterion validity is one way to evaluate this; it...
Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory
Primary Appraisal:...
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle
Environmental Influences on Intelligence
Reliability and Validity

