Test anxiety and the observation of models¹

Abstract

Recent research on modelmg (eg, Bandura, 1965) has been provocadve because it has suggested the important role which the observation of others plays m mfiuencmg social behavior The research reported here extends the exploration of modeling effects to behavior m an mtellectual performance situation An attempt at such an extension seemed of value m two ways First, It could mdicate the degree to which observmg the performance of someone else facihtates one's own performance Second, it could provide a theoretical Imk between research on a personahty vanable, test anxiety, and research on modehngOn what basis might one expect the variables of test anxiety and the observation of others to be Imked? Previous theonzmg on anxiety provides some suggestive clues Anxiety may be viewed as an mferred class of mtemal responses, consisting of self-oriented thoughts and emotional reactions The highly anxious mdividual IS one who is especially prone to become preoccupied with himself, his madequacies, and the impression he makes on others These preoccupations may be viewed as mterfermg with many ongomg activities Over the past 15 years considerable research has been carried out which relates to an interfermg response mterpretation of one type of anxiety, test anxiety (Ruebush, 1963, Sarason, i960) A highly test-anxious person is operationally defined as one who ainits to tension, worry, and feelmg upset before, durmg, and after takmg tests He has been hypothesized to be fearful of tests and of situations m which he feels he might be evaluated

Effect of State and Trait Anxiety and Prestige of Model on Imitation

“…It was hypothesized that subjects with high levels of state and trait anxiety would imitate to a greater degree than subjects low in state and trait anxiety. Previous research has found that high-anxious subjects tend to imitate more than low-anxious subjects (Sarason et al, 1968). Support for this hypothesis was not found.…”

“…Bandura and Rosenthal (1966) found a high degree of arousal due to psychological stress led to a greater degree of imitation of classical conditioned responses. Sarason et al (1968) found that high test-anxious subjects imitated more than low test-anxious subjects. Bauer (1978) found increased imitation tendencies in anxious subjects.…”

“…The mean time needed to perform the maze would be greater for subjects with high levels of state and trait anxiety than for subjects with low levels of state and trait anxiety. Previous research has found that high-anxious subjects tend to imitate more than low-anxious subjects (Sarason et al, 1968;Bauer, 1978 …”

“…Taken together, these studies suggest that an increase in arousal will lead to an increase in the imitation of an emotional state. Bandura and Rosenthal (1966) Sarason, Pederson, and Nyman (1968) observed the effects of high, middle, and low test-anxiety on a verbal learning experiment. The subjects were female undergraduates.…”

“…Sarason et al (1968), using a serial learning task, found that high test-anxious subjects imitated more than low test-anxious subjects. an attempt to best behave in his or her world.…”