肌电和皮温生物反馈及其和自我训练结合控制考试焦虑有效性的比较研究

本文比较了肌电和皮温生物反馈以及反馈与自我训练结合等方法对改善考试焦虑的有效性。采用状态—特质焦虑问卷的状态焦虑分选择48名高考应届考生为实验受试。将这些受试随机分成6组,每组8人,分别为:1.肌电反馈加自我训练;2.单肌电反馈;3.皮温反馈加自我训练;4.单皮温反馈;5.假反馈和 6.延迟训练等组。训练前后分别测试了各位受试在故意制造的紧张气氛中完成测验作业时的肌电和皮温变化以及状态焦虑的水平。比较结果表明:1.生物反馈改善考试焦虑是有效的,皮温和肌电反馈有效性相当;2.生物反馈和自我训练结合效果似乎更佳;3.假反馈训练的效果虽然比不训练略好,但两者无明显的区别;4.初始状态焦虑程度越高,经训练,焦虑水平下降幅度也越大。     

团体箱庭疗法干预初中生考试焦虑的效果

以19名考试焦虑初中生为被试,运用等组前后测实验方法,考察团体箱庭疗法干预考试焦虑的效果,并与放松训练进行比较。结果表明：团体箱庭疗法与放松训练一样能够有效地干预初中生的考试焦虑情绪,团体箱庭疗法干预效果的保持性优于放松训练。     

箱庭疗法缓解初中生考试焦虑的有效性

以18名考试焦虑初中生为被试,采用等组前后测设计,以考察箱庭疗法缓解考试焦虑的效果,并与放松训练进行比较。结果表明:箱庭疗法与放松训练一样能够有效地缓解初中生的考试焦虑情绪,但其干预效果的保持性要优于放松训练。     

大学生时间管理倾向与考试焦虑的关系

目的探讨大学生时间管理倾向与考试焦虑的关系。方法采用时间管理倾向量表和考试焦虑量表对302名大学生进行调查。结果(1)大学生时间管理倾向存在显著的年级差异。(2)时间管理倾向总分、时间效能感和时间监控观与考试焦虑及其两个因子存在显著负相关。(3)时间效能感对考试焦虑有直接预测性,时间价值感和时间监控观通过时间效能感影响考试焦虑。结论大学生考试焦虑状况与其时间管理倾向,特别是时间效能感有关。     

非适应性完美主义对大学生考试焦虑的影响：有调节的中介模型

为探究大学生非适应性完美主义与考试焦虑间的内在心理机制，采用中文版Frost多维完美主义量表、考试焦虑量表、自尊问卷和生活定向测验对897名大学生进行调查。结果如下：(1)大学生非适应性完美主义显著正向预测考试焦虑；(2)自尊在大学生非适应性完美主义与考试焦虑间起部分中介作用；(3)乐观在大学生非适应性完美主义与考试焦虑、非适应性完美主义与自尊间起调节作用。大学生乐观水平越高，非适应性完美主义对考试焦虑及自尊的预测作用越小。研究结果对改善大学生考试焦虑具有重要理论价值和实践意义。     

坐忘、正念、冥想治疗焦虑的心理与脑电变化研究

采用不同压力管理策略(坐忘、正念、冥想)考察其对焦虑的干预效用,并用脑电探究其脑机制差异。首先用焦虑量表筛选出高焦虑被试60名,随机分入坐忘、正念、冥想和对照组,并对被试实施持续4周的干预,用焦虑量表进行后测,再采用EEG比较脑电波差异。研究发现:坐忘、正念与冥想都能降低个体的状态焦虑,坐忘对降低特质焦虑作用更大(t_(TAI)=-3.14,P0.01);坐忘在额叶激活了更高的α波,正念在顶叶激活了更高的θ波,冥想组α波的均值高于对照组。因此,不同的压力管理策略对焦虑的干预效用显著,而且三者的脑电存在差异。     

团体心理治疗和体育运动处方对大学生网络成瘾的干预

运用团体心理治疗和体育运动处方相结合的综合模式对大学生网络成瘾进行心理干预.干预治疗12周后,与自行干预组的大学生相比,实验组大学生的网络成瘾倾向及状态焦虑倾向均有显著改善.本研究表明,团体心理治疗与体育运动处方相结合的综合干预模式更有利于治疗大学生网络成瘾.     

高一学生成就目标特征模式及学业适应:基于潜在剖面分析

本研究采用潜在剖面分析技术探究高中生成就目标的特征模式及学业适应。被试为732名来自北京、广东、福州和西安各一所高中的高一学生,本研究采用问卷法收集学生的成就目标取向、学习效能、学业自我阻碍、学习策略和考试焦虑的数据。结果发现：（1）学生中存在成功导向、学业淡漠、典型掌握导向和非典型掌握导向四种类型,其中,典型和非典型掌握导向型所占比例较高,成功导向型和学业淡漠型所占比例较低;（2）成功导向组学生在学习效能、学习策略、学业自我阻碍和考试焦虑上的得分最高,学业淡漠组在各学业适应指标上得分最低,典型和非典型掌握导向组得分处于成功导向组和学业淡漠组中间。本研究结果对预防和干预学业适应不良具有重要意义。     

基于事件相关电位(ERPs)和机器学习的考试焦虑诊断

考试焦虑对个体的身心具有严重危害。传统诊断考试焦虑的方法容易受到个体主观态度的影响,从而影响对个体考试焦虑的发现与及早干预。为了克服传统主观问卷对考试焦虑群体诊断的不足,本研究提出脑电神经数据结合机器学习的客观综合诊断方法评估个体的考试焦虑水平。研究采用情绪Stroop范式,结合脑电技术测量个体对考试焦虑者的注意抑制功能,机器学习基于此前提,提取P1, P2, N2, P3和LPP五种事件相关电位(ERP)成分,以卷积神经网络(CNN)为主采用7种常见的机器学习算法对个体考试焦虑程度进行进一步的诊断。结果表明CNN对考试焦虑诊断的准确率达86.5%,F1-score为0.911,显著高于其他6种常见算法。因此采用CNN对脑电信号进行深度学习得出的诊断模型能够有效地对个体的考试焦虑程度进行诊断。     

高中生考试焦虑的团体辅导干预研究

通过对高一、高二学生被试实验组13人进行为期一周的考试焦虑团体辅导、控制组14人进行一般性团体辅导,探讨团体辅导对高中生考试焦虑水平的改善作用。结果表明,经过干预训练后,实验组被试的考试焦虑水平显著低于控制组被试、对考试重要性的认识显著优于控制组被试,但在考试策略上不存在显著差异。这意味着考试焦虑的团体辅导干预能有效地降低考试焦虑水平、提升对考试重要性的合理认识程度。     

Walking versus biofeedback: a comparison of acute interventions for stressed students

Background: High rates of stress-related problems in college students and low utilization of treatment options demonstrate the need for effective stress-reducing interventions that can be self-regulated. This study compared the effect of brief paced-breathing with biofeedback and exercise interventions on heart rate variability, state anxiety and affect. Methods: Students (n?=?32) with high levels of perceived stress completed three 10-min interventions on separate days: paced-breathing with biofeedback (Biofeedback), a self-paced walk (Exercise), and an attention control condition of quiet studying (Quiet Study). Anxiety and affect were measured before (Pre), immediately after (Post0) and 15 mins after (Post15) the intervention. Heart rate variability was measured pre- and post-intervention using electrocardiogram. Results: Biofeedback reduced anxiety more than the exercise condition (Pre to Post0: Biofeedback d?=??0.48, Exercise d?=??0.13). Secondly, Exercise temporarily increased energy (Pre to Post0: d?=?0.67), whereas Biofeedback temporarily increased calmness (Pre to Post0: d?=?0.51). All conditions significantly increased total heart rate variability (p?Conclusions: Biofeedback and Exercise interventions improved emotional states in high-stress college students, but the type of change observed (i.e. energizing, calming or anxiety reducing) depended upon the condition.     

Effectiveness of biofeedback and relaxation training in reducing the side effects of cancer chemotherapy.

Assessed the effectiveness of electromyographic (EMG) and skin-temperature (ST) biofeedback and relaxation training (RT) in reducing the aversiveness of cancer chemotherapy. Eighty-one cancer patients, equated on several individual-difference variables, were randomized to one of six groups formed by a 3 (EMG Biofeedback, ST Biofeedback, No Biofeedback) x 2 (RT, No RT) factorial design. Outcome was assessed with physiological, patient-reported, and nurse-reported indices taken over five consecutive chemotherapy treatments. RT patients showed decreases in nausea and anxiety during chemotherapy and physiological arousal after chemotherapy. EMG and ST biofeedback reduced some indices of physiological arousal but had no other effects on chemotherapy side effects. These findings suggest that RT can be effective in reducing the adverse consequences of chemotherapy and that the positive effects found for biofeedback in prior research were due to the RT that was given with the biofeedback, not to the biofeedback alone.     

Discriminating Clinical From Nonclinical Manifestations of Test Anxiety: A Validation Study

Test anxiety, although being a very common, severe, and impairing psychological disorder, is not coded as a separate diagnosis in the DSM or ICD. In the present study we investigated whether the Test Anxiety Inventory can be used to discriminate clinical and subclinical levels of test anxiety by comparing patients who seek treatment for their test anxiety in an outpatient clinic with carefully matched students with normal test anxiety. The data from 47 test-anxious patients as well as 41 healthy university students were examined. Results show that a cutoff score of ≥ 80 in the Test Anxiety Inventory can discriminate the clinical group from the control students. The symptom pattern of test anxiety was very consistent in the clinical group regardless of the principal diagnosis allocated by the treating clinician. Comorbid depression did not affect the severity of test anxiety. The motivation to avoid failure was one of the most important differences between patients who sought help for their test anxiety and students with nonclinical levels of test anxiety.     

Prior task failure as a determinant of biofeedback and cognitive task performance

In a study of the effects of controllability of outcomes upon behavior in a biofeedback context, 40 college students were assigned to four groups differing in pretreatment: (1) a success-failure group, given false feedback in a fictitious blood-vessel control task for two sessions designed to convey success followed by two sessions of failure feedback; (2) a failure-failure group, given false failure feedback throughout pretreatment; (3) a contingent failure group, receiving actual feedback in a temperature biofeedback task with criteria that assured failure throughout pretreatment; and (4) a control group, given no specific task during this phase. In a subsequent phase, all subjects received actual frontal (forehead) electromyographic (EMG) response training with biofeedback. In analyses of the results, during EMG training, the contingent failure group attained lower levels than the other three groups. By contrast, on a cognitive (anagram) task, interpolated between pretreatment and EMG training, the contingent failure group demonstrated relatively poorer performance than the other groups. The results are discussed in terms of reactance and learned helplessness theories of perceived loss of control in this context.Some of the data reported here were included in a thesis submitted by the second author in partial fulfillment of requirements for the master's degree in psychology, University of Hawaii, 1981. The entire paper was the basis for a presentation at the annual meeting of the Biofeedback Society of America, Albuquerque, 1984.     

Effect of relaxation or exercise on undergraduates' test anxiety

The purpose of this study was to determine whether test anxiety could be significantly reduced through regular practice of relaxation exercises or physical exercise. Test anxiety was assessed at pretest and posttest using the 37-item true-false Test Anxiety Questionnaire developed by Sarason. 47 undergraduate students self-selected to participate. The 9 subjects in the group who engaged in a nonmeditative relaxation exercise 3 times per week for 7 weeks showed a significant decline in test anxiety. The 16 subjects in a supervised aerobic dance class 3 times per week for 7 weeks improved their fitness and their test anxiety significantly declined. The 20 control subjects did not meet over the 7-week study ahd showed no significant change in test anxiety, fitness, or relaxation.     

The multidimensionality of test anxiety: A test of different models

Abstract

Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to test the multidimensional structure of test anxiety. Starting with the traditional two-factor model, it was of interest whether additional dimensions could still be represented by a single higher-order factor of test anxiety or whether the additional dimensions represented correlates of test anxiety. The Revised Test Anxiety (RTA) scale and the German Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI-G) were combined collecting data from a binational sample of 218 American and 218 German university students. Considering the statistical and theoretical aspects of model fit, they indicated that a model consisting of three primary factors (worry, emotionality, and lack of confidence) fit the data best. While distraction and self-efficacy may be regarded as correlates of test anxiety, lack of confidence was substantiated as a component of test anxiety. Implications for the conceptualization of the content domain and hence area of test anxiety were discussed.     

Single Session Treatment of Test Anxiety with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

One session of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) appeared to be an effective treatment for test anxiety, reducing reported physiological distress, worry, and fears of negative evaluation. The research design included two components: a comparison study, comparing Immediate Treatment and Wait List groups, and a replication study, comparing the treatment response of Immediate and Delayed (Treated Wait List) groups. Seventeen test anxious university students were randomly assigned to one session of EMDR or Wait List. At post-test, the Immediate group demonstrated significant improvement, compared to the Wait List group, on the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) and Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. Treatment effects were maintained at follow-up. The Wait List group received treatment after post-measures were taken. Treatment of the Delayed group replicated effects. Improvement was reflected by large treatment effect sizes and a decrease in percentile ranking on the TAI from the 90th to the 50th percentile.     

Traditional group therapy and computer-administered treatment for test anxiety

Abstract

Traditional group therapy for test anxiety, modelled after Weissberg (1976), was compared with the computer-administered treatment of Thoresen, Insel, Roth, Ross, and Seyler (1986). Both treatments contained cognitive and behavioral elements including systematic desensitization and Jacobsonian relaxation techniques. The participants were 36 test-anxious students seeking treatment within a university counseling center. Effectiveness of each treatment was assessed by studying changes in test anxiety (total, worry, emotionality), as measured by the Test Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, 1980). and changes in grade point average (GPA). There was a statistically significant reduction in the three test anxiety measures for both treatments. No significant differences in GPA, as a result of the treatment, were found. There was no significant difference in reduction of test anxiety between the treatments. These findings support the efficacy of the computerized treatment which may be a suitable alternative to group therapy and, in some situations, may be the treatment of choice.     

Development of physiological response patterns concomitant with the learning of voluntary heart rate control.

Thirty-six male undergraduate students were instructed to raise or lower heart rate in a multiple-session biofeedback experiment. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, frontalis electromyographic activity, and skin conductance level were simultaneously recorded throughout biofeedback training. Principal axes factor analyses showed that physiological response patterning concomitant with the development of heart rate control was different early in training (Training Session 1) than it was late in training (Training Session 4) for both speeding and slowing conditions. These results indicate that different heart rate control strategies were used by the subjects early and late in training. The factor patterns also indicated a tendency for greater heart rate response specificity as training progressed for both speeding and slowing. Heart rate speeding sessions were also found to be associated with a significant increase in perceived state anxiety as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. No significant change in perceived anxiety state, however, was associated with heart rate slowing.     

Text anxiety in adolescents: the role of self-criticism and acceptance and mindfulness skills

The current study sets out to explore test anxiety in adolescent students. The effect of sociodemographic variables on test anxiety was controlled for and the relationship between test anxiety and other psychological constructs, such as self-criticism, social anxiety, acceptance and mindfulness, was examined. In addition, the predictive effect/power of these variables was analyzed and a comparative study between high and low test anxiety adolescents was conducted. Participants in this study were 449 high school students, 211 boys and 238 girls, with a mean age of 16.28 years. These participants completed a battery of self-report questionnaires composed by the Portuguese versions of Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI), Child Acceptance and Mindfulness Measure (CAMM), Forms of Self-Criticizing/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS), and the Social Anxiety and Avoidance Scale for Adolescents (SAASA). Results showed that gender, self-criticism and competencies for acceptance and mindfulness had a significant and an independent contribution on the prediction of test anxiety. The comparative study revealed that adolescents with high test anxiety score significantly higher in negative forms of self-criticism, social anxiety and lower in self-reassurance, acceptance and mindfulness, when compared to those with low test anxiety. Despite its exploratory nature, the current study adds to the existing knowledge on the influence of psychological processes, such as self-criticism and acceptance, on test anxiety. These findings might constitute a relevant contribution to psychological intervention with adolescents.