Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 15, 2025
06:58
Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
7.5K
Does repetitive negative thinking mediate the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and cognitive test
Alex T W Jolly1, David Garratt-Reed1, Peter M McEvoy1,2
1School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
Anxiety, Stress, and Coping
|November 1, 2021
Summary
Repetitive negative thinking mediates the link between perfectionistic concerns and cognitive test anxiety in university students. This suggests interventions targeting repetitive negative thinking could reduce test anxiety.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Cognitive test anxiety negatively impacts academic performance.
- Perfectionistic concerns are linked to higher cognitive test anxiety.
- Mediators of this relationship require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine if repetitive negative thinking mediates the relationship between perfectionistic concerns and cognitive test anxiety.
- To understand the psychological mechanisms underlying test anxiety in an academic context.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 129 Australian university students completed an online questionnaire.
- Measures included demographics, repetitive negative thinking, perfectionistic concerns, and cognitive test anxiety.
- Mediation analysis was employed to assess the proposed relationships.
Main Results:
- The overall model explained 43.5% of the variance in cognitive test anxiety.
- Perfectionistic concerns directly accounted for 10.6% of the variance.
- Repetitive negative thinking significantly mediated 32.5% of the variance.
Conclusions:
- Repetitive negative thinking is a significant mediator between perfectionistic concerns and cognitive test anxiety.
- Findings support the potential of interventions targeting repetitive negative thinking to alleviate cognitive test anxiety.
- Further research should explore the efficacy of such interventions in academic settings.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Beck's Cognitive Therapy
136
Cognitive therapy is a psychological approach designed to address distortions in thinking, which can lead to negative emotions and unrealistic beliefs. These cognitive distortions often influence how individuals interpret and respond to situations, exacerbating emotional distress. Below are some prevalent cognitive distortions, their characteristics, and examples of how they manifest in thought processes.
Arbitrary Inference
Arbitrary inference involves making conclusions without sufficient...
Arbitrary Inference
Arbitrary inference involves making conclusions without sufficient...
136
02:09Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
39.9K
When we hold a stereotype about a person, we have expectations that he or she will fulfill that stereotype. A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation held by a person that alters his or her behavior in a way that tends to make it true. When we hold stereotypes about a person, we tend to treat the person according to our expectations. This treatment can influence the person to act according to our stereotypic expectations, thus confirming our stereotypic beliefs. Research by Rosenthal and...
39.9K
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
18.5K
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
18.5K
01:20Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory
715
Cognitive psychologist Richard Lazarus proposed the cognitive-mediational theory of emotions, which emphasizes how individuals' assessments of stressors significantly affect their experience of stress. According to Lazarus, the stress response is determined by a two-step appraisal process: primary appraisal and secondary appraisal. These cognitive appraisals help individuals evaluate the potential impact of a stressor and determine the adequacy of their coping resources.
Primary Appraisal:...
Primary Appraisal:...
715
01:30Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
142
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia indicate a reduction or absence of typical behaviors and emotional responses found in healthy individuals, while positive symptoms reflect an excess or distortion of normal functioning.
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
Negative Symptoms
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia manifest as deficits in normal emotional and behavioral functioning, profoundly impacting daily life. Individuals with schizophrenia often display a flat affect, characterized by a near-total absence of emotional expression,...
142
01:29Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects
45
Self-discrepancy theory explains how people compare their actual self to their ideal and ought selves and how mismatches between these self-guides can lead to emotional distress. Developed by E. Tory Higgins, the theory distinguishes among three components of self-concept: the actual self, the ideal self, and the ought self. These refer respectively to how individuals perceive themselves, how they aspire to be, and how they believe they are obligated to be. Emotional well-being, self-esteem,...
45