Test Anxiety and the Passage of Time.

Abstract

Three experiments were performed dealing with the relationship of test anxiety and achievement-oriented instructions to time perception. After being given either achievement-orienting or neutral instructions, subjects waited for an undesignated period of time, after which they performed on an intellective task. The dependent measures were subjects' estimates of the duration of the waiting and performance periods and their scores on the assigned task. High test anxious subjects' time estimates were significantly greater than the estimates of the other subjects and their performance was at a relatively low level. Evidence is presented supporting the hypothesis that highly anxious persons under stress experience cognitive interference and preoccupation which makes time pass slowly and results in poor performance. The implications of the findings are discussed, particularly in terms of the need for training programs capable of fostering improved cognitive skills requiring self-control.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 06, 1977
Accession Number
ADA039786

Entities

People

  • Irwin G. Sarason
  • Rick Stoops

Organizations

  • University of Washington

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Analysis Of Variance
  • Business Administration
  • Human Resources
  • Information Processing
  • Military Research
  • Motor Skills
  • Naval Personnel
  • New York
  • Personality
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Resource Management
  • Social Psychology
  • Social Sciences
  • Students
  • Training
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Instructional Design and Training Evaluation.
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.