Anxiety is a cognitive state characterized by physiological and mental arousal evoked by the anticipation of a potential threat that may never occur. While anxiety is a normal, predictable, and adaptive part of human life, excessive anxiety can negatively impact emotion and performance. When that negative impact results in functional deficits or emotional distress, excessive anxiety may be labeled a psychiatric disorder (Gross & Hen, 2004). Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders. Epidemiological data from Kessler Petukhova, Sampson, Zaslavsky, and Wittchen (2012) indicates that the lifetime prevalence of any anxiety disorder in adults between the ages 18 and 64 is 33.7%.
Anxiety disorders can negatively impact …show more content…
In their exploration of the effects of test anxiety on academic performance, Cassady and Johnson (2002) found that high levels of both cognitive test anxiety (worry) and emotionality were linked to lower exam scores in undergraduate students, though cognitive test anxiety is much more influential. Emotionality alone only explained 5% of the variance in test scores, but when cognitive test anxiety was included in the model, the amount of variance in test scores explained by both types of test anxiety increased to …show more content…
Worrying and ruminating about the negative consequences of poor performance on exams compete for a student’s working memory, which can lead to poorer performance on exams compared to students with lower test anxiety—particularly on high-stakes or difficult tests. The authors reasoned that since writing about one’s feelings has proven effective in decreasing rumination in individuals with depression, this technique might also be beneficial for students with high levels of test anxiety. Consequently, they investigated the impact of a brief 8-10 minute expressive writing exercise on high-stakes exam performance, over the course of the school year. High school students were administered the expressive writing intervention immediately prior to each exam. Their findings revealed that, in the control group, there was a significant negative correlation between test anxiety levels and exam scores. This was not the case for students who were exposed to the expressive writing intervention. The students who were required to perform an expressive writing task before an exam demonstrated an improvement in test scores. When the researchers compared low- and high- test anxiety groups within the class, the improvement in exam scores was almost exclusively in the high anxiety group. Low anxiety students’ exam scores remained the
Anxiety disorders can negatively impact …show more content…
In their exploration of the effects of test anxiety on academic performance, Cassady and Johnson (2002) found that high levels of both cognitive test anxiety (worry) and emotionality were linked to lower exam scores in undergraduate students, though cognitive test anxiety is much more influential. Emotionality alone only explained 5% of the variance in test scores, but when cognitive test anxiety was included in the model, the amount of variance in test scores explained by both types of test anxiety increased to …show more content…
Worrying and ruminating about the negative consequences of poor performance on exams compete for a student’s working memory, which can lead to poorer performance on exams compared to students with lower test anxiety—particularly on high-stakes or difficult tests. The authors reasoned that since writing about one’s feelings has proven effective in decreasing rumination in individuals with depression, this technique might also be beneficial for students with high levels of test anxiety. Consequently, they investigated the impact of a brief 8-10 minute expressive writing exercise on high-stakes exam performance, over the course of the school year. High school students were administered the expressive writing intervention immediately prior to each exam. Their findings revealed that, in the control group, there was a significant negative correlation between test anxiety levels and exam scores. This was not the case for students who were exposed to the expressive writing intervention. The students who were required to perform an expressive writing task before an exam demonstrated an improvement in test scores. When the researchers compared low- and high- test anxiety groups within the class, the improvement in exam scores was almost exclusively in the high anxiety group. Low anxiety students’ exam scores remained the