Abstract
Sixty-seven fourth-grade children anticipated and then performed a mathematics task in either a high or a low stress condition. While the children anticipated performing the task, measures of seven cognitive behaviors were obtained by means of both a Think Aloud procedure and a questionnaire. Measures of trait and state anxiety and task performance were also obtained. Trait anxiety was found to be related to state anxiety and the cognitive behaviors of preoccupation, and for females, justification of positive attitude. The performance of high but not low trait-anxious children was found to be affected by levels of stress. This finding aids in reconciling discrepancies in previous research concerning children's trait anxiety and performance.
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The authors wish to thank Verlin Gilbert, principal of Deerfield School, and John Lowther, principal of Broken Arrow School, Lawrence, Kansas, for their generous assistance with this project.
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Houston, B.K., Fox, J.E. & Forbes, L. Trait anxiety and children's state anxiety, cognitive behaviors, and performance under stress. Cogn Ther Res 8, 631–641 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173261
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173261