Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026
05:05
The Successive Alleys Test of Anxiety in Mice and Rats
Published on: June 17, 2013
Development and validation of the statistical anxiety scale
Andreu Vigil-Colet1, Urbano Lorenzo-Seva, Lorena Condon
1Universidad Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain. andreu.vigil@urv.cat
Psicothema
|January 22, 2008
Summary
This study introduces a new scale to measure statistical anxiety, finding it predicts academic performance in statistics. Broader anxiety measures, however, did not show a significant relationship.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Academic Performance Research
Background:
- Personality variables are increasingly recognized for their role in predicting academic success.
- The predictive power of personality measures varies significantly between broad and narrow assessments.
- Existing research highlights the need for specific measures to capture nuanced psychological constructs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a scale for assessing anxiety specific to statistics courses.
- To investigate the relationship between statistical anxiety and academic performance in statistics.
- To compare the predictive validity of specific statistical anxiety measures against broader anxiety and neuroticism scales.
Main Methods:
- Development of a 24-item scale measuring statistical anxiety through three subscales: Examination Anxiety, Asking for Help Anxiety, and Interpretation Anxiety.
- Validation of the scale to assess overall statistical anxiety.
- Correlational analysis to examine the relationship between statistical anxiety and academic performance in statistics.
Main Results:
- The developed scale effectively measures statistical anxiety, encompassing examination, help-seeking, and interpretation anxieties.
- Specific measures of statistical anxiety demonstrated a significant positive relationship with academic performance in statistics.
- Broader measures of general anxiety and neuroticism did not show a significant predictive relationship with statistics academic performance.
Conclusions:
- Statistical anxiety is a distinct construct that significantly impacts academic performance in statistics.
- Narrow, specific measures of anxiety are more effective predictors of academic performance in specialized subjects than broad personality traits.
- The validated scale offers a valuable tool for identifying and addressing statistical anxiety in educational settings.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry that persists for at least six months, significantly interfering with daily functioning. Unlike situational anxiety, which arises in response to specific stressors, GAD often occurs without a clear cause. Individuals may experience disproportionate worry about work, health, or relationships. For instance, a person might continuously fear poor health despite normal medical evaluations or...
01:18Anxiety: Overview
Anxiety is a common mental disorder featuring excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, significantly affecting daily life. People with anxiety disorders experience persistent and intense anxiety, interrupting their everyday functioning.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
01:28Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is characterized by an intense fear of social situations where one might face humiliation, rejection, embarrassment, or negative evaluation. This disorder leads individuals to avoid activities like casual conversations, public speaking, or seemingly simple tasks such as eating, signing documents, or swimming, in public settings. Its impact extends beyond discomfort, often significantly interfering with daily functioning and quality of life.
03:34Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Attachment is a long-standing connection or bond with others. While Attachment Theory was conceived in developmental psychology to describe infant-caregiver bonding, it's been extended into adulthood to include romantic relationships.
01:19Testing a Claim about Standard Deviation
A complete procedure to test a claim about population standard deviation or population variance is explained here.
The hypothesis testing for the claim of population standard deviation (or variance) requires the data and samples to be random and unbiased. The population distribution also must be normal. There is no specific requirement on the sample size as the estimation is based on the chi-square distribution.
As a first step, the hypothesis (null and alternative) concerning the claim about...
The hypothesis testing for the claim of population standard deviation (or variance) requires the data and samples to be random and unbiased. The population distribution also must be normal. There is no specific requirement on the sample size as the estimation is based on the chi-square distribution.
As a first step, the hypothesis (null and alternative) concerning the claim about...