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THE EFFECTS OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND STRESS-RELATED CONDITIONS OF THREAT ON LEVELS OF STATE ANXIETY AND DOGMATIC DEFENSIVENESS

This study attempted to determine the effect of dogmatism on levels of state anxiety during a stress-related condition of failure evaluation threat, using a pre-test, post-test experimental design. Rokeach's assumptions of dogmatism as a hypothetical cognitive state and Spielberger's distinction of state-trait anxiety provided the theoretical focus for the study. / The primary concern of the research was to determine the relationship between pre-stress measures of dogmatism. Trait anxiety served as the control variable; however, its relationship to dogmatism and state anxiety was also examined. / Subjects consisted of 60 undergraduate students enrolled in a departmental course during the Spring semester. The dogmatism scale was administered to each section of the course three weeks after classes began. Five weeks after this pre-test data was gathered, subjects were asked to participate in an experiment. Both scales of the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory were administered followed by a problem-solving task. Immediately upon the completion of the task, subjects completed the State Scale of the STAI and the Dogmatism Scale. / Although the experimental stress condition increased subjects' overall level of state anxiety, the relationship between dogmatism and state anxiety was found to be nonsignificant. Furthermore, the difference between the group means for low, middle and high dogmatic subjects on state anxiety was nonsignificant. There was a significant relationship between pre-stress dogmatism and post-stress dogmatism, r = .83, p < .001, indicating the measure was highly stable. The relationship between trait and state anxiety was significant, r = .54, p < .001, however the relationship between trait anxiety and pre-stress dogmatism was low, r = .25, p < .05. Finally, multiple regression analysis indicated that pre-stress measures of state anxiety and measures of trait anxiety best predicted post-stress measures of state anxiety, accounting for 39.0% of the variability, while pre-stress measures of dogmatism best predicted post-stress measures of dogmatism, accounting for 68.3% of the variability in the equation. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-06, Section: A, page: 1739. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75109
ContributorsTOMLINSON, SAUNDRA MARIA., Florida State University
Source SetsFlorida State University
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText
Format121 p.
RightsOn campus use only.
RelationDissertation Abstracts International

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