Although the significance of anxiety has long been recognized and explored within the framework of psychoanalysis, it was not until after World War II that it began to influence research in psychology. The manipulation of anxiety as a research variable has taken place both within and without the framework of psychoanalytic theory. The primary purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between test anxiety, as determined by scores on the TASC, and performance on the Wechsler Intelliaence Scale for Children. TASC scores were compared to Verbal Scale, Performance Scale, Full Scale, and individual subtest scores on the WISC.

This study examined adult students of limited reading ability, determining the extent to which their performance on a standardized examination was a function of their reading ability, rather than function of their knowledge of the material tested by the examination.

Scores from high-stakes tests such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are commonly used as criteria for college admission decisions. So, it is of implied importance to identify factors that contribute to susceptibility to failure on these tests. One potential factor addressed in the current study was whether emotional cognitive load differentially impacts those with low working memory capacity or trait anxiety. Individual differences in subjective arousal were also tested as a mechanism contributing to this effect. In Experiment 1, a reading comprehension task revealed that type of cognitive load affected accuracy. In Experiment 2, state anxiety was induced using methods from previous research. The results revealed that, again, only type of cognitive load affected comprehension accuracy. Together, results suggest that arousal induced via disturbing words negatively influence reading performance regardless of superior working memory capacity. These findings are not based on cognitive load in general, but the semantic value of the words processed, in particular, that led to comprehension difficulty. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications.

Diploma thesis deals with the control of efficiency of volleyball cadet team. Thesis consists of two parts, theoretical and experimental. Theoretical part summarizes the characterization of volleyball game, the performance of player in match, the locomotive abilities and the locomotive performance tests. Experimental part consists of testing and results processing with graphical outputs. Testing object was volleyball cadet team VSK Český Krumlov. Testing methodology contained eight tests of special locomotive performance which predicate mainly speed, force and dexterity abilities. Results were compared with average values of cadets from the whole Czech Republic, statistically processed and interpreted.

The present study was designed to investigate the discrepancy in test performance between the upper-middle-class and lower-class kindergarten-age child as a function of differential familiarity with test content.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between certain upset family conditions and the performance of young children from these families as measured by selected instruments. This research was also concerned with the lack of provision in commonly used evaluative techniques for discrimination between those children who actually possess low ability and those whose ability to perform is diminished because of emotional problems.

Students in an inner city junior high school in North Central Texas participated in a study whose purpose was to examine the effect of training in test item construction on their later test performance. The experimental group underwent twelve weeks of instruction using the Test Item Construction Method (TICM). In these sessions students learned to develop test items similar to those on which they were tested annually by the state via the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). The TICM aligned with state mandated test specifications.

Test taking can produce elevated stress and anxiety, with subsequent negative influences on test performance. This has been a focus of prior research. However, only a few studies have explored how coping strategies and perceived social support affect relationships between academic stress, test anxiety, and test performance particularly in China. Therefore, this study investigated relationships among academic stress, test anxiety, coping strategies, perceived social support and test performance in a Chinese high school sample. Specifically, this study tested the moderating effects of coping strategies and perceived social support on the relationships between academic stress, test anxiety, and test performance. Four hundred and fifty Chinese high school students completed four surveys: 1) Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI; Spielberger et al., 1980) - Chinese Version, 2) Academic Stress Scale (ASS; Kohn & Frazer, 1986)-Chinese Version, 3) Simplified Coping Styles Questionnaire (SCSQ; Xie, 1998), and 4) A revised Chinese version of the Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS; Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley, 1998). Scores from the pre-National College Entrance Exam (pre-NCEE) were obtained from the school. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that academic stress was positively related to students’ test anxiety and negatively related to their academic test performance. Test anxiety had a negative relationship to test performance. While active coping was not found to moderate the relationships among academic stress, test anxiety, and academic performance, perceived parent support and perceived other support moderated the relationships between test anxiety and test performance as well as between academic stress and test anxiety. These moderation effects were in a different direction than predicted as there were stronger relationships between test anxiety and test performance, and between academic stress and test anxiety, when students reported higher levels of perceived parent support or other support. This study contributes to the research literature by exploring the integrative relationships among academic stress, test anxiety, test performance, coping strategies, and perceived social support. Findings of this study and related literature are considered for public policy and the design of training programs aimed at assisting Chinese high school students cope with academic stress and test anxiety.

This study focused on two major areas of investigation: (1) locus of control and (2) the influence on test performance of anxiety and motivation. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of programmed instruction dealing with motivation, anxiety, and test-wiseness as a means of enhancing group intelligence test performance of externalizing children. While earlier research demonstrated the viability of this technique x^ith a heterogeneous sample, no studies have utilized any kind of instruction to facilitate the performance of externalizers on standardized tests. It was hypothesized that intelligence test performance would be enhanced by programmed instruction. Furthermore, externalizers were expected to demonstrate greater gains than internalizers, which would thereby suggest that locus of control provides a source of variance in intellectual assessment.

This study was concerned with determining the effect of two levels of electromyogram (EMG) induced physiological arousal and therapeutic instructions on self-reported test anxiety, test performance, and on-task behavior. The rationale for such a study is the fact that treatments of test anxiety have presented inconsistent results. Little research has been undertaken with regard to the effect of EMG biofeedback as a treatment for test anxiety or non-specific effects associated with such a treatment. Results indicated that self-reported test anxiety was significantly higher (p<.05) under the high physiological arousal condition than under the low physiological arousal condition and that self-reported on-task behavior was significantly greater (p < .05) for the positive therapeutic instruction group. Physiological arousal levels did not have any significant effect upon test performance or self-reported on-task behavior. Also, therapeutic instructions did not have a significant effect on self-reported test anxiety or test performance. The results indicated a cognitive change with regard to test anxiety which was not reflected in test performance. Also, on-task behavior did not enhance test performance