The effect of brief anxiety interventions on reported anxiety and math test performance
Author(s) / Creator(s)
Ganley, Colleen M.
Conlon, Rachel A.
McGraw, Amanda L.
Barroso, Connie
Geer, Elyssa A.
Abstract / Description
Research suggests that math and test anxiety have detrimental impacts on performance in math. To prevent these effects, a number of interventions have been developed, but these interventions have not been extensively tested. In the current study, we examine whether four brief anxiety interventions reduce state anxiety and/or increase math performance. We also examine whether any of the interventions weaken the relation between math or test anxiety and math performance. Participants were 300 college students varying in math and test anxiety levels. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four single-session interventions, which each took 5 minutes or less (reappraisal as challenge, reappraisal as excitement, expressive writing, and look ahead), or a no intervention control group. Results generally show that none of the interventions had an effect on reports of state anxiety or performance on a difficult math assessment, with the exception that students in the expressive writing condition reported higher levels of state anxiety. None of the interventions served to attenuate the relation between math or test anxiety and math performance. These findings were not consistent with results of previous work, and suggest that interventions may need to be more extensive in order to have an effect on state anxiety and math performance.
Keyword(s)
math anxiety test anxiety interventions math performancePersistent Identifier
Date of first publication
2021-03-31
Journal title
Journal of Numerical Cognition
Volume
7
Issue
1
Page numbers
4–19
Publisher
PsychOpen GOLD
Publication status
publishedVersion
Review status
peerReviewed
Is version of
Citation
Ganley, C. M., Conlon, R. A., McGraw, A. L., Barroso, C., & Geer, E. A. (2021). The effect of brief anxiety interventions on reported anxiety and math test performance. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 7(1), 4-19. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.6065
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jnc.v7i1.224.pdfAdobe PDF - 506.54KBMD5: 81d55ae228ba43a41ec4b1af9c3adf17
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Ganley, Colleen M.
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Conlon, Rachel A.
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Author(s) / Creator(s)McGraw, Amanda L.
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Barroso, Connie
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Author(s) / Creator(s)Geer, Elyssa A.
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PsychArchives acquisition timestamp2022-04-14T11:21:54Z
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Made available on2022-04-14T11:21:54Z
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Date of first publication2021-03-31
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Abstract / DescriptionResearch suggests that math and test anxiety have detrimental impacts on performance in math. To prevent these effects, a number of interventions have been developed, but these interventions have not been extensively tested. In the current study, we examine whether four brief anxiety interventions reduce state anxiety and/or increase math performance. We also examine whether any of the interventions weaken the relation between math or test anxiety and math performance. Participants were 300 college students varying in math and test anxiety levels. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four single-session interventions, which each took 5 minutes or less (reappraisal as challenge, reappraisal as excitement, expressive writing, and look ahead), or a no intervention control group. Results generally show that none of the interventions had an effect on reports of state anxiety or performance on a difficult math assessment, with the exception that students in the expressive writing condition reported higher levels of state anxiety. None of the interventions served to attenuate the relation between math or test anxiety and math performance. These findings were not consistent with results of previous work, and suggest that interventions may need to be more extensive in order to have an effect on state anxiety and math performance.en_US
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Publication statuspublishedVersion
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Review statuspeerReviewed
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CitationGanley, C. M., Conlon, R. A., McGraw, A. L., Barroso, C., & Geer, E. A. (2021). The effect of brief anxiety interventions on reported anxiety and math test performance. Journal of Numerical Cognition, 7(1), 4-19. https://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.6065en_US
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ISSN2363-8761
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Persistent Identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/5488
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Persistent Identifierhttps://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.6092
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Language of contenteng
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PublisherPsychOpen GOLD
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Is version ofhttps://doi.org/10.5964/jnc.6065
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Is related tohttps://osf.io/npzt7
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Is related tohttps://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.4640
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Keyword(s)math anxietyen_US
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Keyword(s)test anxietyen_US
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Keyword(s)interventionsen_US
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Keyword(s)math performanceen_US
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Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)150
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TitleThe effect of brief anxiety interventions on reported anxiety and math test performanceen_US
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DRO typearticle
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Issue1
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Journal titleJournal of Numerical Cognition
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Page numbers4–19
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Volume7
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Visible tag(s)Version of Recorden_US