Self-statements of test-anxious children: thought-listing and questionnaire approaches

Two methods of assessing cognition in high, moderate, and low test-anxious children, thought listing and self-statement questionnaire approaches, were investigated under naturalistic test-taking conditions. The amount of cognition, its content, and its relation to level of anxiety and task performance were examined. States of mind (SOM) analyses were performed. Furthermore, the comparability of findings from both methods was examined. Results showed that, relative to the questionnaire method, the thought-listing procedure underestimated positive and coping cognition. The benefits of the questionnaire approach were seen in the power of its scores to predict task performance. Implications for cognitive assessment and treatment of anxious children are discussed.