SELF-ESTEEM, TEST ANXIETY, STRESS, AND VERBAL LEARNING

Related 2 levels each of self-esteem, test anxiety, and stress to verbal learning in 114 5th and 6th graders. A modified paired-associates task was used. Stress was manipulated through game and test instructions. Data were analyzed separately by sex. The Anxiety * Stress Condition * Blocks interaction was significant for both sexes, but reflected somewhat different patterns. Under test instructions, both low-anxious boys and girls made fewer errors throughout the task than high-anxious Ss. Under game instructions, low-anxious boys made more errors at the beginning of the task but fewer errors as learning progressed; low-anxious girls, however, generally made more errors after the early trials of the task. High self-esteem was positively related to performance for boys but not for girls. A negative correlation between self-esteem and text anxiety was found for boys. (25 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.