Abstract
Although research in test anxiety has shown that anxious students emit more negative self-statements than nonanxious students, there is little evidence directly linking negative thoughts to lower test performance. One explanation for this finding is that covert self-statements may function differently depending on an individual's academic competence beliefs. This study was designed to evaluate this formulation first by comparing high and low competence beliefs groups on the frequency of negative thought content during a simulated testing session and for differences in the subjective meaning that they attached to these covert thoughts. Second, the degree to which negative thoughts correlated with test performance and the degree to which non-facilitative subjective meaning responses correlated with test performance were compared. Results indicated that differences in competence beliefs were unrelated to negative thoughts but were significantly related to the types of subjective meaning given thought-listed responses. Comparisons among the cognitive variables showed that only subjective meaning responses were consistently predictive of anagram and math test performance. Results are discussed in light of supplemental analyses and with regard to further research and clinical implications.
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This research was supported by a fellowship and grant-in-aid to the first author from the SUNY Joint Awards Council and University Awards Committee. Appreciation is expressed to Randy Cale for his invaluable assistance with various phases of this study.
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Bruch, M.A., Kaflowitz, N.G. & Kuethe, M. Beliefs and the subjective meaning of thoughts: Analysis of the role of self-statements in academic test performance. Cogn Ther Res 10, 51–69 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173383
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173383