Attentional Control Theory - Essay Example

Attentional Control Theory Tests, exams and interviews have always given most people the jitters; in fact any situation where our abilities are tested is frightening for most of us. Test anxieties do not affect a particular age group and is universal. Its intensity however differs from one person to another but it cannot be ruled out that some percentage of anxiety is felt by each and everybody. Our bodies and minds are well synchronized and what affects the mind shows its impact on the body in some way or the other. Physiological changes include changes in heart rate and pulse rate, perspiration etc. However, the anxiety before the test not only has a physiological impact but is primarily important since it also affects the capability of a person to give his best and perform well in the test. Cognitive test anxiety is associated with changes in pulse rate and negatively related to performance in a test. Cognitive test anxiety or simply “worry” is an umbrella term for a number of a number of processes and thoughts that may contribute towards the anxiety. These processes include low confidence, anticipation and anxiety over results, comparing one’s own self to ones counterparts, judging one’s own ability and worth. In fact research has shown that the most common worry that students face during test anxiety is that of self worthlessness, confrontations with similar exams in the future and letting down parental expectations (Deepreeuw, 1984,p3).According to the Attentional control theory the sense of anxiety or worry tends to impair the “efficient functioning of goal oriented attentional system “(Eysenck, 2007, p336). Deffenbacher conducted two experiments and concluded that anxiety, interference, pulse and emotions were positively related with each other and negatively related to performance (Deffebacher, 1986, p635; Deffenbacher & Hazaleus, 1985, p169). Feelings of anxiety often cause people to forget what they had learnt or diminish the ability to perform well. Several researchers have tried to establish the relation between test anxiety and academic performance. Cassady and Johnson investigated the relation between cognitive test anxiety and academic performance among students with the help of regression analyses established that the results of students in exams such as course exams and SAT’s differed according to the intensity of the anxiety felt by each individual. Group of students with lower levels of cognitive anxiety performed much better than those experiencing higher levels of anxiety (Cassady & Johnson, 2002, p288). In a similar exploratory study, 39 UK secondary students undertook a mock French test and there was an established negative relation between “general test anxiety and general academic performance” (Daly et al, 2011, p321). Mood alterations and though processes often have a major impact on the autonomic bodily processes such as perspiration, heart and pulse rates, skin conductance and skin resistance. Findings show an important relation between cognitive performance, heart and pulse rate variability and neural function (Thayer et al, 2009, p141).Physiological changes also have their implications on academic test performances as well. Each of the phenomena i.e. anxiety, physiological change and performance are interdependent and closely associated. The most widely studied change is that of heart rate and consequent pulse rate alteration owing to sense of anxiety. During a research study performance and pulse rate changes of non-test anxious and test-anxious subjects were analyzed and it was found that low-test anxious students performed much better in academic than high test anxious students. In the same study it was found that during self-evaluation of performance student with high-test anxious had much lesser confidence and anticipated much worse results than their actual performance (Kenneth et al, 1978, p443). Some researchers sued the Catastrophe model to relate anxiety, physiological changes and performance. The Catastrophe model was primarily used to explain the cognitive anxiety and subsequent effect on performance in sports. Vitasari et al applied the model and measured physiological arousal and recorded the anxiety level using STAI (state trait anxiety inventory) and SAS (study anxiety scale).They related these to the academic performance of the subjects and concluded that “high level of physiological arousal and cognitive anxiety is a significant factor that creates low academic performance” (Vitasari et al, 2011, p615).Morris and Liebert analyzed the academic performances of high school and college students and vindicated their hypothesis that cognitive test anxiety was highly and negatively associated to test performance and pulse rate also affected performance even though much less significantly than worry (Morris & Liebert, 1970, p332). Test anxiety is a common phenomenon and there is little doubt that it plays a significant role in altering our body responses such as pulse rate. Research has also successfully established an intimate association between anxiety, pulse rate and performance in academic field. Most importantly it has become clearer that academic performance is more significantly affected by the feelings of cognitive anxiety prior to a test than the modification of pulse rate even though the latter does affect performance to a minute extent as well. Therefore performance in academics is associated with alteration in heart rate and pulse rate and negatively related to test anxiety or worry. REFERENCES Cassady, J. C., & Johnson, R. E. (2002). Cognitive Test Anxiety and Academic Performance.Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27, 270–295. doi:10.1006/ceps.2001.1094 Daly, A. L., Chamberlain, S., & Spalding, V. (2011). Test anxiety, heart rate and performance in A-level French speaking mock exams: an exploratory study. Educational Research,53(3), 321-330. doi:10.1080/00131881.2011.598660 Deffenbacher, J. L., & Hazaleus, S. L. (1985). Cognitive, emotional, and physiological components of Test Anxiety. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 9(2), 169-180. doi:10.1007/BF01204848 Deffenbacher, J. L. (1986). Cognitive and physiological components of test anxiety in real-life exams. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 10(6), 635-644. doi:10.1007/BF01173751 Depreeuw, M. (1984). A profile of the test-anxious student. International Review of Applied Psychology, 33, , 221–232. Eysenck, M. W., Derakshan, N., Santos, R., & Calvo, M. G. (2007). Anxiety and Cognitive Performance: Attentional Control Theory. Emotion, 7(2), 336-353. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.7.2.336 Holroyd, K. A., Westbrook, T., Wolf, M., & Badhorn, E. (1978). Performance, cognition, and physiological responding in test anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87(4), 442-451. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.87.4.442 Morris, L. W., & Liebert, R. M. (1970). Relationship of cognitive and emotional components of test anxiety to physiological arousal and academic performance. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 35(3), 332-33. doi:10.1037/h0030132 Thayer, J. F., Hansen, A. L., Saus-Rose, E., & Johnsen, B. H. (2009). Heart Rate Variability, Prefrontal Neural Function, and Cognitive Performance: The Neurovisceral Integration Perspective on Self-regulation, Adaptation, and Health. Annals of Behavioral Medicine,37, 141-153. doi:10.1007/s12160-009-9101-z Vitasari et al (2011). Assessing of Physiological Arousal and Cognitive Anxiety toward Academic Performance: The Application of Catastrophe Model. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 615–619. Read More