Abstract
M.A. (Psychology)
Test anxiety has been widely researched in terms of its
etiology and treatment. However, the results have been
somewhat inconclusive, pointing to the fact that cognitive
variables have not been accorded with the necessary
amount of explanatory weight. The literature seemed to
indicate that attribution of success and failure in test-related
situations as well as the appropriate interpretation of cues in test-related information would account
for a significant proportion of the variance observed
in test anxiety.
It was the purpose of this study to determine the extent
and nature of the influence of attributional style and
cue usage in test anxiety.
In order to test the hypotheses two groups of students
were selected. The experimental group consisted of students
with high scores on two measures of test anxiety,
and the control group consisted of students with low
scores on the measures of test anxiety. These groups
were then compare on scores of attributional style and
cue usage.
The hypotheses for the study were not supported. The
results were discussed in the context of test anxiety
approaching a phobic nature rather than a generalized
anxiety state.