Cognitive processes in test anxiety: An analysis of two assessment procedures in an actual test

Arnkoff, Diane B.; Smith, Randy J.

doi:10.1007/bf01173411

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…Contrary to our findings, a relationship between test performance and cognitive measures, such as the frequency of thoughts and self-efficacy, has been found in some research on evaluation anxiety (ArnkofF& Smith, 1988;Galassi et al, 1981aGalassi et al, , 1984Glass & Arnkoff, 1991;Multon et al, 1991). In the present study, although thoughts and self-efficacy were related to self-rated anxiety during orals, and self-efficacy was related to observed anxiety, neither thoughts nor self-efficacy was significantly correlated with faculty ratings of orals per-formance.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, in addition to investigating predictors of performance, we sought to examine relationships between cognitive variables and anxiety. Prior studies have consistently found relationships between thoughts (particularly negative thoughts) and anxiety in a testing situation (e.g., Arnkoff & Smith, 1988;Glass & Arnkoff, 1991). Results of the exploratory analyses in this study also strongly support the relationship between thoughts and anxiety.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Some research has found a relationship between the number of thoughts in a test-taking situation and test performance. In studies by Galassi et al (1981a);Galassi, Frierson, and Siegel (1984);and Arnkoff and Smith (1988), negative thoughts were significantly predictive of examination scores on actual classroom tests. In each case, however, the amount of variance explained was small.…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The strongest predictors of orals performance were graduate grade point average and committee ratings of the quality of the dissertation and of the student's work in the doctoral program before the dissertation.Conceptualizations of test anxiety focus on the importance of evaluative, especially negative, self-deprecatory thoughts before and during test taking (Meichenbaum & Butler, 1980;Sarason, 1975;Wine, 1980). Studies have consistently found relationships between such thoughts and anxiety in a testtaking situation (e.g., Arnkoff & Smith, 1988;Hollandsworth, Glazeski, Kirkland, Jones, & Van Norman, 1979). Research has indicated that highly test-anxious subjects have fewer positive thoughts and more negative thoughts in comparison with low-anxious subjects and report more task-irrelevant and interfering thoughts (Galassi, Frierson, & Sharer, 1981a, 1981bHollandsworth et al, 1979;Hunsley, 1987).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Cognitive processes, anxiety, and performance on doctoral dissertation oral examinations.

Arnkoff¹,

Glass²,

Robinson³

1992

Journal of Counseling Psychology

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In an effort to explore evaluation anxiety in a naturalistic setting, this study examined the relationships among anxiety, thoughts, self-efficacy, and performance of 37 students defending their doctoral dissertations. After the orals, faculty examiners rated each student's performance and level of anxiety. Analyses showed that the state-of-mind ratio (ratio of positive thoughts to positive-plus-negative thoughts) appeared to be a more important contributor to anxiety than did self-inefficacy to control thoughts. Although faculty ratings of anxiety were significantly related to their ratings of performance, subjects' own reports of anxiety and their thoughts during orals were not predictive of performance. The strongest predictors of orals performance were graduate grade point average and committee ratings of the quality of the dissertation and of the student's work in the doctoral program before the dissertation.Conceptualizations of test anxiety focus on the importance of evaluative, especially negative, self-deprecatory thoughts before and during test taking (Meichenbaum & Butler, 1980;Sarason, 1975;Wine, 1980). Studies have consistently found relationships between such thoughts and anxiety in a testtaking situation (e.g., Arnkoff & Smith, 1988;Hollandsworth, Glazeski, Kirkland, Jones, & Van Norman, 1979). Research has indicated that highly test-anxious subjects have fewer positive thoughts and more negative thoughts in comparison with low-anxious subjects and report more task-irrelevant and interfering thoughts (Galassi, Frierson, & Sharer, 1981a, 1981bHollandsworth et al., 1979;Hunsley, 1987). Some research has found a relationship between the number of thoughts in a test-taking situation and test performance. In studies by Galassi et al. (1981a);Galassi, Frierson, and Siegel (1984);and Arnkoff and Smith (1988), negative thoughts were significantly predictive of examination scores on actual classroom tests. In each case, however, the amount of variance explained was small. In addition to the evaluation of the relationship between the frequency of thoughts and performance, Arnkoff and Glass (1982) have also recommended that the function of thoughts, or their impact, may provide an informative avenue of exploration. However, this proposal has not been extensively evaluated to date.Recently, researchers have also begun to examine selfefficacy's relationship to academic performance and anxiety. Diane B. Arnkoff and Carol R. Glass made equal contributions to this article, and the order of their authorship was determined randomly.We are grateful to the subjects and faculty for their willingness to take time and energy to participate in the study, and we thank Tom Wright for suggesting the path analysis. We extend special thanks to Tim Belliveau, for his advice in the early stages of this research, and to Jowanna Nathan, whose assistance in the Dean's Office was invaluable.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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confidence: 92%

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Cognitive processes, anxiety, and performance on doctoral dissertation oral examinations.

Arnkoff¹,

Glass²,

Robinson³

1992

Journal of Counseling Psychology

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“…On the other hand, several comparative studies have found endorsement measures of cognitive constructs to compare favorably in validity with production methods such as thought listing or think-aloud techniques (Arnkoff & Smith, 1988;Glass & Furlong, 1990;Haaga, 1989;Heimberg, Bruch, Hope, & Dombeck, 1990).…”

Section: Limitations and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 97%