scholarly journals Stress in Post-Secondary: Toward an Understanding of Test-Anxiety, Cognitive Performance, and Brief Mindfulness Meditation

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-44
Author(s):  
Raychel Colangelo ◽  
Karyn Audet
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Anxiety Reduction ◽  
Lower State ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
State Test

Premised on cultivating present-moment awareness, mindfulness meditation (MM) programs have been shown to significantly reduce state-anxiety and improve cognitive performance in post-secondary students. With increasing popularity, briefer MM formats have been introduced to post-secondary institutions to combat the rising prevalence of student test-anxiety. However, research examining the efficacy of brief MM on a state-level test-anxiety response and its ability to improve cognitive performance in a testing situation is sparse. The present study examined the immediate effects of brief MM on state test-anxiety and cognitive performance. A sample of 50 undergraduate college students (N = 50) were randomly assigned to a brief MM or a control activity. In the current study, it was hypothesized that there would be lower state test-anxiety levels and higher cognitive performance in the brief MM group than the control group. Results revealed that the brief MM group had greater state test-anxiety reduction than the control group at post-treatment. Consistent with previous work, brief MM, however, did not promote any specific short-term benefits for cognitive performance. Our findings, however, converge with past research to suggest that brief MM may produce immediate, short-term state test-anxiety relief. Immediate anxiety relief may be beneficial for students during stressful academic periods.

Reduction of Test Anxiety Using Pavlovian Conditioning Principles: A Preliminary Note

1986 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-50
Author(s):  
Stephen F. Siegel
Keyword(s):  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Unconditioned Stimulus ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Reduction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Preliminary Note ◽  
Test Taking ◽  
Glass Marble ◽  
Receive Treatment ◽  
To Receive

10 test anxious college students participated in an experiment that assessed the effectiveness of Test Anxiety Reduction Training. Five subjects were randomly selected to receive treatment; the other five received no treatment and served as a control group. The procedure involved two types of Pavlovian pairings, (1) a conditioned stimulus (small glass marble) with an unconditioned stimulus (relaxing music) and (2) the image of the test-taking situation with the unconditioned stimulus. When treated subjects brought the conditioned stimulus into their tests, their test scores improved significantly compared to those of control subjects. Advantages of this treatment over other treatments were discussed along with possible uses in other anxiety-producing situations.

scholarly journals Water Consumption during a School Day and Children’s Short-Term Cognitive Performance: The CogniDROP Randomized Intervention Trial

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Drozdowska ◽  
Michael Falkenstein ◽  
Gernot Jendrusch ◽  
Petra Platen ◽  
Thomas Luecke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Water Intake ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Urine Color ◽  
Randomized Intervention

There is still little research examining the relationship between water consumption in school and specific cognitive performance. The aim of this cluster-randomized intervention CogniDROP trial was to investigate the short-term effects of drinking water during the morning on executive functions. The participants were from the 5th and 6th grade of a comprehensive school in Germany (14 classes, n = 250, 61.6% boys). The classes were randomly divided into an intervention group (an education on healthy drinking behavior and a promotion of water consumption) and a control group. A battery of computerized tasks (Switch Task, 2-Back Task, Corsi Block-Tapping Task and Flanker Task) was used to test executive functions. Urine color and thirst were evaluated to check the hydration level. Physical activity over the past 24 h was measured using GT3X ActiGraph. A non-linear relationship was observed between the amount of drinking water and executive performance. Consuming water up to 1000 mL (or up to 50% of Total Water Intake) had benefits during memory tasks. Urine color and number of steps on the study day correlated with water consumed. The results suggest that a water-friendly environment supports school-aged children in adequate water intake resulting in better cognitive performance, especially short-term memory.

Effect of Physical Stimulation on Motor Inhibition in Children

1986 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Ann Di Pietro
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Practice Effect ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Motor Inhibition ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Physical Stimulation ◽  
Term Memory

The effect of physical stimulation on motor inhibition and cognitive performance of 70 third-grade children was examined. 46 subjects participated in a brief, but strenuous obstacle course. Their performance on two motor inhibition tasks, a short-term memory/attentional task, and a test assessing reflectivity was assessed before the stimulation, immediately afterward, and again after a 30-min. delay. A control group ( n = 24) received comparable experience without the physical intervention. Physical stimulation facilitated fine motor inhibition at both the immediate and delayed retest. The intervention interfered with an apparent practice effect on the attentional task. No condition effects were noted for gross motor performance or reflectivity, although girls were significantly more reflective at retest. It is proposed that physical stimulation augments certain aspects of inhibitory control in children.

scholarly journals Still facial photographs of long-term meditators are perceived by naïve observers as less neurotic, more conscientious and more mindful than non-meditating controls

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Goldberg ◽  
Matthew James Hirshberg ◽  
Lawrence Y. Tello ◽  
Helen Weng ◽  
Lisa Flook ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Observer Ratings ◽  
The Impact

The impact of meditation training on self-report psychological variables is well-established. Although meditation training is purported to have interpersonal impacts, whether naïve observers perceive differences associated with long- and short-term meditation training is largely unknown. The current study provided a stringent test of this possibility through observer ratings of a very thin slice of expressive behavior: still photographs. Photographs were drawn from a larger study investigating differences between long-term meditators (LTM) and meditation naïve participants (MNP) who were exposed to one of three experi- mental conditions. Photographs of ninety-nine targets (16 LTMs, 83 MNPs) were taken at baseline, prior to the randomization of MNPs to an eight-week mindfulness meditation course (mindfulness-based stress reduction; n = 27), an active control comparison condition (health enhancement program; n = 29), or a waitlist control group (n = 27) and again after the training period. Pre- and post-intervention photographs were then rated by 25 meditation teachers and 86 undergraduate raters on five domains theoretically linked to meditation training. Results indicated that relative to MNPs, LTMs were rated as less neurotic and more conscientious, mindful, and “comfortable in their own skin” at baseline (ds = 0.61 to 0.70, ps < .050), although not more agreeable or attractive. Results were largely unchanged when controlling for five observable confounds (age, gender, race/ethnicity, body mass index, attractiveness). No evidence was found supporting experimental effects of short-term meditation training on observer ratings. Thus, it seems that if meditation is associated with observable differences in facial behavior, effects may be limited to long-term training.

scholarly journals The "What" and "Hows" of Mindfulness: Using DBT's Mindfulness Skills to Reduce Test Anxiety

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Lothes II ◽  
Kirk Mochrie
Keyword(s):  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Anxiety Reduction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Weekly Schedule ◽  
General Anxiety ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Mindfulness Skills ◽  
Mindfulness Practices ◽  
Text Anxiety ◽  
Mindfulness Interventions

Background: Many studies have shown the positive effects of extended mindfulness interventions on anxiety reduction in several different populations; however, few have yet to examine the effects of mindfulness interventions on test anxiety in a college student population.Aim: This study assesses the effects of overall test anxiety reduction through the use of Dialectical Behavior Therapy's (DBT's) mindfulness skills over an eight-week period among college students.Methods: Participants included 16 college students that were trained in mindfulness, which included an eight-week mindfulness training using DBT's "What" and "How" skills of the mindfulness module. Participants were assessed on text anxiety, general anxiety, and mindfulness at the beginning, mid-way point, and end of the study. A weekly schedule of mindfulness practices was given to participants to complete on their own at home.Results: Participants showed significant within-group reductions in test anxiety from the start of the study (Mean = 56, SD = 11.47) to the end of the study (Mean = 37.56, SD = 9.98).Conclusions: It is likely a mindfulness intervention that specifically teaches the “What” and “How” skills of DBT can help students reduce not only test anxiety, but overall anxiety, as well as increase individual levels of mindfulness based on the self-reported mindfulness questionnaire. Further research is needed to more definitively assess these results matched against a wait-list control group.

Treatment of Test Anxiety by Group Implosive Therapy

1973 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold H. Dawley ◽  
W. W. Wenrich
Keyword(s):  
Placebo Group ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Therapy Group ◽  
Anxiety Reduction ◽  
The Other ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Treatment Control ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Implosive Therapy ◽  
Treatment Control Group

36 test anxious Ss were randomly assigned to 3 groups. One group served as the no-treatment control, while the other two groups received either placebo-attention or implosive therapy. Implosive therapy consisted of 5 30-min. sessions of treatment in which Ss were asked to imagine highly anxiety-evoking scenes pertaining to test anxiety while concentrating on experiencing the accompanying sensations as intensely as possible. The placebo group imagined non-relevant scenes while concentrating on experiencing the accompanying sensations as intensely as possible. The results indicated a significant difference in terms of anxiety reduction between the no-treatment control group and the implosive-therapy group. No significant difference was obtained between the placebo group and the implosive-therapy group, or between the placebo group and the no-treatment group. The importance of a placebo group in behavior therapy research was noted.

A Newspaper’s Effect on the Strength of Automatic Associations in Memory

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Arendt
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
Term Effect ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Implicit Measure ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Treatment ◽  
Short Term Effect ◽  
Automatic Associations ◽  
Foreign Nationality ◽  
The Impact

A test was done to see if reading a newspaper which consistently overrepresents foreigners as criminals strengthens the automatic association between foreign country and criminal in memory (i.e., implicit cultivation). Further, an investigation was done to find out if reading articles from the same newspaper produces a short-term effect on the same measure and if (1) emotionalization of the newspaper texts, (2) emotional reactions of the reader (indicated by arousal), and (3) attributed text credibility moderate the short-term treatment effect. Eighty-five participants were assigned to one of three experimental conditions. Participants in the control group received short factual crime texts, where the nationality of the offender was not mentioned. Participants in the factual treatment group received the same texts, but the foreign nationality was mentioned. Participants in the emotionalized treatment group received emotionalized articles (i.e., texts which are high in vividness and frequency) covering the same crimes, with the foreign nationality mentioned. Supporting empirical evidence for implicit cultivation and a short-term effect was found. However, only emotionalized articles produced a short-term effect on the strength of the automatic association, indicating that newspaper texts must have a minimum of stimulus intensity to overcome an effect threshold. There were no moderating effects of arousal or credibility pertaining to the impact on the implicit measure. However, credibility moderated the short-term effect on a first-order judgment (i.e., estimated frequency of foreigners of all criminals). This indicates that a newspaper’s effect on the strength of automatic associations is relatively independent from processes of propositional reasoning.

Effectiveness of humor on short term memory function in age matched elderly and diabetic subjects vs. control group

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gurinder S. Bains ◽  
Lee Berk ◽  
Noha Daher ◽  
Pooja Deshpande ◽  
Everett Lohman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory

Mindfulness Meditation – From Traditional Approaches to Mobile Applications (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Liebher ◽  
Yi-Yuan Tang
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Traditional Programs ◽  
Temporal Flexibility ◽  
Individual Use ◽  
Traditional Approaches

BACKGROUND Since the 1970s, psychological and neuroscientific research has had an increasing interest in mindfulness meditation. The resulting findings were followed by various programs which are based on the same idea: mindfulness meditation is a process of openly attending, with awareness to one’s present moment experience. In recent years the traditional programs have been turned more and more into digital applications, which promise increased spatial and temporal flexibility as well as an individual use. However, the large number of mobile applications offered contrasts with few evidence-based programs. OBJECTIVE The present review aims to consider the potential of mobile but also traditional programs to improve executive functions and alter neural mechanisms, in order to meet the growing demands of our digitized everyday life. METHODS - RESULTS By reviewing previous empirical findings and theoretical considerations, we describe short-term and long-term effects of both types as well as challenges and limitations with which they are faced. CONCLUSIONS Furthermore, we provide potential solutions for future programs with a specific focus of improving executive functions and underlying neural mechanisms. CLINICALTRIAL -

Test Anxiety in Potential First-Generation Students: A Longitudinal Examination of the Role of Psychological Needs

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-49
Author(s):  
Natalie Spadafora ◽  
Emily L. Murphy ◽  
Danielle S. Molnar ◽  
Dawn Zinga
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Basic Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Report ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Post Secondary

It is estimated that 15-22% of students have high levels of test anxiety (von der Embse, Jester, Roy, & Post, 2018), which can be associated with greater academic stress and poorer educational performance (e.g., Steinmayr, Crede, McElvany, & Withwein, 2016). First-generation students (where neither parent has completed post-secondary education) are a critical group to study given that they are at higher risk for poorer educational attainment and being unsuccessful at the post-secondary level. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the link between basic psychological needs and test anxiety in a sample of first-generation Ontario high school students across two points in time (N = 147;  Mage = 14.82, SD = 1.28). Self-report data was collected as a part of an on-going longitudinal study focusing on students attending a high school with specialized programming to enhance the transition to post-secondary institutions. Results from cross-lagged path analyses indicated that being older, female, and having higher levels of needs frustration significantly predicted higher levels of test anxiety over time within this sample. Our results highlight important educational implications, emphasizing the importance of fostering classroom environments where students perceive their psychological needs to be met, particularly within this unique population of students.

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