Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: standard WAIS administration; a praise condition with praise for each correct WAIS response; and a self-monitoring condition with direct feedback on response accuracy. Results indicated that specific feedback is effective in inducing IQ test performance change in normal adults. (NG)

Thirty-six undergraduate psychology students who had high measured test anxiety were randomly assigned to one of three groups: covert reinforcement, placebo control, and no-treatment control. Pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up scores were obtained on three criterion measures. The findings supported the use of covert reinforcement for…

College students were treated with either a standard or modified version of systematic desensitization. Relative to a no-treatment control group, both treatment methods produced significant reductions in both the treated and untreated fears. The implications these findings have for two alternative conceptions of systematic desensitization are…

Test performance and reported anxiety levels of high and low test-anxious subjects taking either a regular exam or an exam containing brief, written relaxation instructions were compared. High test-anxious subjects performed more poorly and reported greater worry and emotionality. Results provide greater external validity for Test Anxiety Scale.…

High- and low-anxiety groups performed a learning task after receiving either achievement-orienting or neutral instructions. While the results showed an overall superiority of low- to high-test-anxiety groups, there was a significant Test Anxiety x Instructions interaction. The results are interpreted in terms of attentional blocks that…

Thirty male and 30 female undergraduates were tested in six groups of 10. Each subject completed the FIRO-B under three different instructional sets. The instructional sets were (a) "normal condition", (b) "fake good", and (c) "fake bad". The study revealed that the FIRO-B is susceptible to undetected faking. (Author)

The variable of permissiveness developed and measured by Ira Reiss in the form of a Guttman scale of premarital sexual permissiveness was subjected to critical analysis. Both conceptual analysis and testing of questions regarding methodology and interpretation of the scale were used. Several questions were raised about the Reiss scale including:…

Relaxation as self-control and desensitization were compared to a wait-list control in reduction of rest and other anxieties. Active treatments differed significantly from the control treatment. Subjects in both treatments reported less debilitating test anxiety, whereas desensitization subjects showed greater facilitating test anxiety. (Author)

Test-anxious students were assigned to four treatment groups, a placebo group, or an untreated control group. Four treatment groups resulted from combinations of two treatment rationales (active coping and passive reciprocal inhibition) and two treatment procedures (self-control and standard). Treatment groups were equally effective in reducing…

This experiment compares the effects of group reactive inhibition therapy and group reciprocal inhibition therapy with no treatment on the anxiety level of test-anxious college students. Twenty undergraduate students volunteered for the study and were assigned to either the reactive inhibition group, the reciprocal inhibition group, or the…

This study examined the effects of three variables on self-scoring accuracy and satisfaction with results on Holland's Self Directed Search. The sample consisted of 489 freshmen who took the SDS during orientation. The three independent variables were the test administrator's attitude toward the SDS (positive or neutral), the size of the group…

Test-anxious subjects (N=19) participated in an outcome study comparing systematic desensitization, cue-controlled relaxation, and no treatment. The treatment groups demonstrated significant improvement on the self-report measures of test and state anxiety but not on the behavioral indices. The potential advantages of this technique over…

To assess the effect of contextual stimuli on learning, a study was conducted to see if providing instruction to students in one setting and testing them in yet another setting had an effect on their recall. Twenty-eight college students were randomly divided into two groups, and both were exposed to a multimedia instructional presentation. Then,…

A breakdown in communication takes place when the receiver uses different relations when processing the data through the intellect. College on-trial students (N=53) were tested with the SAT battery and a significant difference was found between their performance on the mathematic and verbal sections. (Author)

Compared with high-test anxious students, those with low scores on both scales of the Achievement Anxiety Test were less anxious before a test, studied less for it, and got more sleep the night before. The pattern of results was congruent with expectations. (Author)