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Understanding pretest and posttest reactions to cognitive ability and personality tests
1Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824-1117, USA. dchan@pilot.msu.edu
The Journal of Applied Psychology
|July 2, 1998
Summary
Beliefs about tests influence how students feel before and after exams, impacting cognitive ability test performance. However, these beliefs did not affect personality test results in this study.
Area of Science:
- Psychometrics
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Understanding test reactions is crucial for interpreting test performance.
- Previous research has explored the link between attitudes towards testing and outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationships between beliefs in tests, pretest reactions, test performance, and posttest reactions.
- To differentiate these relationships for cognitive ability versus personality tests.
Main Methods:
- Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data from 197 undergraduate students.
- Participants responded to measures assessing beliefs, pretest/posttest reactions, and completed cognitive ability and personality tests.
Main Results:
- For cognitive ability tests, pretest reactions mediated the effect of beliefs on performance, and performance influenced posttest reactions.
- For personality tests (Conscientiousness), beliefs affected reactions, but not performance.
Conclusions:
- Test beliefs and reactions play a significant role in cognitive test performance, but not personality test performance.
- Findings have implications for test design, administration, and score interpretation in educational and psychological assessments.