Used a thought-listing procedure to investigate the extent to which students' (N=207) thoughts differ as a function of test anxiety, past achievement, and the points at which they are assessed. Results showed that high-test-anxious students were less positive about tests and viewed tests as more active and potent. (LLL)

Studied use of electromyographic (CMG) biofeedback to increase efficacy of cue-controlled relaxation training in treatment of test anxiety. Results indicated cue-controlled relaxation was effective in increasing test performance for test-anxious subjects. EMG biofeedback did not contribute to effectiveness. Self-report measures of anxiety are…

Test-anxious students were assigned to a core treatment (Meichenbaum's cognitive behavior modification and study skills training) alone, with videotaped modeling, with rehearsal modeling, or under control conditions. No treatment led to significant academic performance improvement, a finding consistent with many test-anxiety studies using grades…

Locus of control subjects estimated their outcomes for two term exams and final grades. Internals' estimates and actual outcomes were higher than those of externals . Internals' estimates from the first to second exam were characterized by more typical expectancy shifts demonstrating greater responsiveness to initial performance feedback.…

Investigated cognition in children with high, moderate, and low test anxiety under naturalistic test-taking conditions. Children with high test anxiety not only reported more negative self-evaluations and more off-task thoughts but also more on-task and coping thoughts. No "task-facilitating" role for these on-task and coping cognitions…

Compared predictive validity of anxiety measures. Undergraduates were pretested with general and specific trait anxiety measures and later exposed to situations involving a rat, a test, and social anxiety. Results indicated the predictive validity of specific measures was greater than that of general measures in 7 of 32 comparisons. (Author/BEF)

Investigated whether retrospective and concurrent assessments in test anxiety research yield comparable data. Results indicated that concurrent and retrospective assessment groups did not differ on number of positive thoughts, negative thoughts, bodily sensations, or anxiety levels. Concurrent assessment did not affect test performance. (Author)

Investigated the cognitions of low, moderate, and high test-anxious children under naturalistic test-taking conditions and examined the role of classroom environment in the test anxiety-performance relation. Results indicated high test-anxious children showed more task-debilitating cognitions during testing, including more negative…

Compared the cognitions of low, moderate, and high test-anxious children (N=398) in an analogue test situation. High test-anxious children reported significantly more task-debilitating cognitions, including negative evaluations and off-task thoughts, and fewer positive evaluations, than the other children. (WAS)

Studied effects of anxiety and sex on neuropsychological test performance. Right-handed subjects responded to the Finger Tapping (FT), Form Board (FB), and State-Trait Anxiety tests. Females performed significantly slower on the FT than males, and for females, trait anxiety was negatively correlated with FT performance and positively correlated…

The skills-acquisition group was superior in performance on the analogue test as well as in grade point average. They reported greater knowledge of effective test-taking skills and less attentional interference during testing. Results suggest that inadequate test performance be reconceptualized as ineffective test taking. (Author)

Individualized covert modeling and self-control desensitization substantially reduced self-reported test anxiety. However, the individualized covert modeling group was the only treatment group that showed significant improvement in academic performance. (Author)

Explored behaviors of students at various times during an examination to examine the relationship between test anxiety and test performance. Results indicated that low test anxious students differed significantly on all eight dependent variables with the level of test anxiety having a significant effect. (Author)