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Related Experiment Videos

Test anxiety and visual vigilance.

R G Geen

    Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
    |October 1, 1985
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    High test anxiety impairs visual vigilance when individuals feel tested. Low test anxiety also impairs performance if individuals do not feel tested, suggesting a complex relationship between anxiety and cognitive task performance.

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    Area of Science:

    • Psychology
    • Cognitive Psychology
    • Anxiety Research

    Background:

    • Test anxiety is a significant factor influencing academic performance and cognitive function.
    • Previous models suggest test anxiety negatively impacts performance, but the nuances under different testing conditions require further investigation.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the impact of test anxiety levels and perceived testing conditions on visual vigilance performance.
    • To explore the relationship between test anxiety, situational cues, and cognitive performance using signal detection theory.

    Main Methods:

    • Participants (N=40, 20 male, 20 female) were categorized by test anxiety levels (high/low).
    • Visual vigilance task administered under conditions designed to enhance or minimize the feeling of being tested.

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  • Performance analyzed using detection rates, false detection rates, sensitivity (d'), and decisional criteria (beta) from signal detection theory.

    • Main Results:

    • Detection rates declined over time for high-anxiety subjects in a testing condition and low-anxiety subjects in a non-testing condition.
    • Signal detection analysis indicated lower sensitivity (d') in high-anxiety/testing and low-anxiety/non-testing conditions.
    • Subjects in the high-anxiety/testing condition adopted more conservative decisional criteria (beta).
    • No significant sex differences were observed.

    Conclusions:

    • Test anxiety's effect on cognitive performance is moderated by the perceived testing environment.
    • Both high test anxiety (when feeling tested) and low test anxiety (when not feeling tested) can impair vigilance.
    • Findings support an elaborated model of test anxiety, highlighting the interplay between individual differences and situational factors.