This study investigated the relationship of two anxiety measures (the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait Form and the S-R Inventory of Anxiousness-Exam Form) to performance on a visual concept-learning task with embedded criterial information. The effect on anxiety reduction of cueing criterial information was also examined, and two levels of…

Describes a student-designed project to determine the increase in tension level among secondary school students induced by the prospect of having to take school examinations. (PB)

Item response changing as a function of test anxiety was investigated. Seventy graduate students enrolled in a basic statistics course completed 73 multiple-choice items on the course content and the Test Anxiety Scale (TAS). The TAS consisted of 25 items that students indicated were descriptive (true) or not descriptive (false) of themselves.…

Relationships among the Test Anxiety Scale for Children (TASC), the Lie Scale for Children (LSC), and sex were estimated from a pooled sample of 1,755 children in grades 1 to l0. Defensiveness and test anxiety showed equally strong sex differences; sex effects in test anxiety were not completely attributable to sex effects in defensiveness, but…

Appendix 1 includes the interviewers' manual, the respondent's booklet, and the actual test materials used in the study, Measuring Intelligence and Achievement Motivation in Surveys. Appendix 2 presents definitions and discussions of intelligence and motivation measures used in this study. A short bibliography of references is also included. (MV)

Cognitive and conditioning models of cue-controlled relaxation as well as the relative efficacy of applied relaxation and cue-controlled relaxation in alleviating test anxiety were investigated. Test anxious subjects (N=18) received either applied relaxation, cognitive cue-controlled relaxation, or conditioned cue-controlled relaxation. Between…

Variables affecting intelligence test performance were investigated for black and white female secondary school students. Test atmosphere (evaluative or gamelike), tester expectation, and socioeconomic status of subject interacted significantly with race of subject in determining mean IQ. Subjects generally performed better with female examiners.…

Evidence is cited from one situation that suggests that test anxiety has a positive influence on performance in course assessment, which may be viewed as a less stressful test situation. This result is discussed in terms of Spence's "drive theory." (Author/LBH)

A case study of the speech evaluation of a three-year-old illustrates the effectiveness of a technique for structured assessment of preschoolers who demonstrate anxiety or reluctance to interact. The technique capitalizes on preschoolers' preexistent relationship with television, using video equipment to establish clinical rapport and conduct…

Ways in which teachers can help students face situations that make them tense, anxious, or fearful are suggested, including self-affirmation, relaxation techniques, problem solving, and role playing. (CB)

Describes the pedagogical and philosophical reasons for adopting the use of take-home multiple choice exams for introductory sociology courses. Reports students' reactions to the exams and provides a discussion of the grading conflicts which arise due to improved performance. (JDH)

Identifies foreign language anxiety as a conceptually distinct variable in foreign language learning and interprets it with the context of existing theoretical and empirical work on specific anxiety reactions. Discusses the effects of this anxiety on language learning and its pedagogical implications. (SED)

Results indicated relaxation/cognitive therapy was effective in reducing anxiety but failed to improve classroom test scores; study-skills training had no significant effect. The combined therapy both reduced anxiety and improved performance relative to the no-treatment control condition and was significantly more effective than was either…

Extended research on cognitive factors that may differentially underlie test anxiety and academic performance by assessing differences in (a) information-processing strategies used to encode course-work information, (b) degree of belief in one's negative self-statements, (c) Type A behavior, (d) test-taking skills, and (e) unrealistic expectations…

The study evaluates the test-gain benefits of an accelerated desensitization and adaptive attitudes intervention for test-anxious students. College students were screened for high test anxiety. Twenty anxious students, half of them on academic probation, were assigned to an Intervention or to a minimal treatment Control group. The Intervention was…