Test anxiety and evaluation threat: Children's behavior in the classroom

Children differing in test anxiety level were observed in two art classes, one immediately preceding a classroom examination, the other when no examination was expected. The observational analyses indicated the following: (a) When an examination was expected there were general increases both in children's task orientation and in their concern with other's evaluations, and a decrease in general activity level. It was suggested that future research examine the effects of additional situational variables on children's classroom behaviors, (b) Highly test-anxious children were generally hardworking and inactive. They reacted to examination expectancy with a decrease in task orientation, reduction in communications, and attentional constriction. Less anxious children reacted to examination expectancy by working harder, eliminating task-irrelevant behaviors, and seeking feedback. These results were interpreted as supporting a cognitive theory of test anxiety.This research was supported by Canada Council Grant No. S71-0272.     

Measuring test anxiety in children: Scale development and internal construct validation

Given the increased testing of school-aged children in the United States there is a need for a current and valid scale to measure the effects of test anxiety in children. The domain of children's test anxiety was theorized to be comprised of three dimensions: thoughts, autonomic reactions, and off-task behaviors. Four stages are described in the evolution of the Children's Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS): planning, construction, quantitative evaluation, and validation. A 50-item scale was administered to a development sample (N=230) of children in grades 3–6 to obtain item analysis and reliability estimates which resulted in a refined 30-item scale. The reduced scale was administered to a validation sample (N=261) to obtain construct validity evidence. A three-factor structure fit the data reasonably well. Recommendations for future research with the scale are described.     

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.     

Rates of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Exposure

Research on the social influences associated with rates of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is scarce and limited to studies of contagion within inpatient and residential treatment settings. Using an archival dataset that included 1,965 college students, the current study examined whether exposure to acts of NSSI and/or suicidal behavior in others was associated with increased rates of NSSI. Results supported hypotheses in that participants who knew someone who had engaged in NSSI only, or knew someone who engaged in both NSSI and suicidal behavior were more likely to have engaged in NSSI compared to those not exposed. The findings provide preliminary, albeit indirect, evidence of the potential for social modeling to influence rates of NSSI within college students. Directions for future studies are offered.     

The role of multiple-choice tests in increasing access to difficult-to-retrieve information

Answering multiple-choice questions improves access to otherwise difficult-to-retrieve knowledge tested by those questions. Here, I examine whether multiple-choice questions can also improve accessibility to related knowledge that is not explicitly tested. In two experiments, participants first answered challenging general knowledge (trivia) multiple-choice questions containing competitive incorrect alternatives and then took a final cued-recall test with those previously tested questions and new related questions for which a previously incorrect answer was the correct answer. In Experiment 1, participants correctly answered related questions more often and faster when they had taken a multiple-choice test than when they had not. In Experiment 2, I showed that the more accurate and faster responses were not simply a result of previous exposure to those alternatives. These findings have practical implications for potential benefits of multiple-choice testing and implications for the processes that occur when individuals answer multiple-choice questions.     

Assessing the psychological status of the Vowel Shift Rule

Several experiments designed to test the psychological validity of Chomsky and Halle's (1968) Vowel Shift Rule are reviewed, and both positive and negative evidence is evaluated. Moskowitz's (1973) claim that speakers' knowledge of vowel alternations is due to their knowledge of spelling rules is introduced, and an experiment designed to differentiate between behavior based on the Vowel Shift Rule and on spelling rules is presented in detail. It is shown that subjects in this experiment, and in previous experiments that claimed to have obtained positive evidence for the Vowel Shift Rule, are behaving in accord with spelling rules and not the Vowel Shift Rule. It is argued that literacy is a possible source of psychologically real linguistic knowledge.     

Interprofessional Education: Preparing Psychologists for Success in Integrated Primary Care

Rapidly occurring changes in the healthcare arena mean time is of the essence for psychology to formalize a strategic plan for training in primary care settings. The current article articulates factors affecting models of integrated care in Academic Health Centers (AHCs) and describes ways to identify and utilize resources at AHCs to develop interprofessional educational and clinical integrated care opportunities. The paper asserts that interprofessional educational experiences between psychology and other healthcare providers are vital to insure professionals value one another’s disciplines in health care reform endeavors, most notably the patient-centered initiatives. The paper highlights ways to create shared values and common goals between primary care providers and psychologists, which are needed for trainee internalization of integrated care precepts. A developmental perspective to training from pre-doctoral, internship and postdoctoral levels for psychologists in integrated care is described. Lastly, a call to action is given for the field to develop more opportunities for psychology trainees to receive education and training within practica, internships and postdoctoral fellowships in primary care settings to address the reality that most patients seek their mental health treatment in primary care settings.