Selection Test Anxiety: Exploring Tension and Fear of Failure Across the Sexes in Simulated Selection Scenarios

Standardized tests are commonly used to select individuals in both pre-employment and educational settings. Nevertheless, research has yet to sufficiently explore the relationship between test anxiety (TA) and test performance in selection contexts. The goal of this study was to assess the dimensionality of TA, the relations between TA and test performance, and the impact of gender on TA within the realm of personnel selection. Test anxiety was found to be bi-dimensional and negatively related to performance on a cognitively based selection instrument. Gender moderated the relation between TA and test performance, with stronger associations for males. This finding is consistent with the sex-linked anxiety coping theory that is advanced here. Implications of this study and avenues for future research are discussed.

[1]  D. Ones,et al.  Theory testing: Combining psychometric meta-analysis and structural equations modeling , 1995 .

[2]  Richard D. Harvey,et al.  Hostile environments, stereotype threat, and math performance among undergraduate women , 2000 .

[3]  F. Schmidt,et al.  The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. , 1998 .

[4]  G. Mandler,et al.  A study of anxiety and learning. , 1952, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[5]  I. Sarason,et al.  Stress, anxiety, and cognitive interference: reactions to tests. , 1984, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[6]  A. Ryan,et al.  APPLICANT WITHDRAWAL: THE ROLE OF TEST‐TAKING ATTITUDES AND RACIAL DIFFERENCES , 1997 .

[7]  Peter Hallinan,et al.  Psychological Testing (5th edn) - Anne Anastasi. MacMillan. New York. 1982. xiii & 784. $33.95 , 1985 .

[8]  P. Bentler,et al.  Significance Tests and Goodness of Fit in the Analysis of Covariance Structures , 1980 .

[9]  David J. Woodruff,et al.  Statistical Inference for Coefficient Alpha , 1987 .

[10]  Jorge L. Mendoza,et al.  A Step-Down Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis for Examining Hypotheses About Test Bias in Prediction , 1986 .

[11]  M. Zeidner.  Test anxiety and aptitude test performance in an actual college admissions testing situation: Temporal considerations , 1991 .

[12]  R. Goffin.  A Comparison of Two New Indices for the Assessment of Fit of Structural Equation Models , 1993 .

[13]  A. Nijssen,et al.  Stress Prevention Training; Sex Differences inTypes of Stressors, Coping, and Training Effects , 2001 .

[14]  Robert E. Ployhart,et al.  Applicants’ Perceptions of Selection Procedures and Decisions: A Critical Review and Agenda for the Future , 2000 .

[15]  Giora Keinan,et al.  Effects of decisional control on state anxiety and achievement , 1987 .

[16]  Richard D. Arvey,et al.  MOTIVATIONAL COMPONENTS OF TEST TAKING , 1990 .

[17]  A. Elliot,et al.  Test anxiety and the hierarchical model of approach and avoidance achievement motivation. , 1999, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[18]  R. Hembree.  Correlates, Causes, Effects, and Treatment of Test Anxiety , 1988 .

[19]  Terri Gullickson,et al.  Test Anxiety: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment. , 1996 .

[20]  V. Helgeson,et al.  Sex Differences in Coping Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review and an Examination of Relative Coping , 2002 .

[21]  S. Zedeck.  Fairness in Employment Testing: Validity Generalization, Minority Issues, and the General Aptitude Test Battery. , 1990 .

[22]  J. Hunter.  Cognitive ability, cognitive aptitudes, job knowledge, and job performance , 1986 .

[23]  I. Sarason.  Test anxiety and intellectual performance. , 1963, Journal of abnormal and social psychology.

[24]  Robert E. Ployhart,et al.  Test Preparation Programs in Selection Contexts: Self-Selection and Program Effectiveness , 1998 .

[25]  S. Folkman,et al.  Dynamics of a stressful encounter: cognitive appraisal, coping, and encounter outcomes. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[26]  J Benson,et al.  Second-Order Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Reactions to Tests Scale with Cross-Validation. , 1992, Multivariate behavioral research.

[27]  P. Costa,et al.  Normal Personality Assessment in Clinical Practice: The NEO Personality Inventory. , 1992 .

[28]  Jerrell C. Cassady,et al.  Cognitive Test Anxiety and Academic Performance , 2002 .

[29]  R. P. McDonald,et al.  Choosing a multivariate model: Noncentrality and goodness of fit. , 1990 .

[30]  K. Hill,et al.  Test anxiety and off-task behavior in evaluative situations. , 1977, Child development.

[31]  Charles D. Spielberger,et al.  Chapter 14 – CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN ANXIETY RESEARCH , 1972 .

[32]  D. A. Kenny,et al.  The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[33]  R. MacCallum,et al.  Power analysis and determination of sample size for covariance structure modeling. , 1996 .

[34]  Bettina Seipp.  Anxiety and academic performance: A meta-analysis of findings , 1991 .

[35]  Donald E. Powers.  TEST ANXIETY AND THE GRE GENERAL TEST , 1986 .

[36]  Sarah A. Hezlett,et al.  A comprehensive meta-analysis of the predictive validity of the graduate record examinations: implications for graduate student selection and performance. , 2001, Psychological bulletin.

[37]  R. Goffin,et al.  Predicting Job Performance Using Personality Constructs: Are Personality Tests Created Equal? , 2000 .

[38]  Margaret Walsh,et al.  Influence of Item Content and Stereotype Situation on Gender Differences in Mathematical Problem Solving , 1999 .

[39]  Richard P. DeShon,et al.  Reactions to cognitive ability tests: the relationships between race, test performance, face validity perceptions, and test-taking motivation. , 1997, The Journal of applied psychology.

[40]  Mark A. Davis,et al.  Cognitive and emotional components of anxiety: literature review and a revised worry-emotionality scale. , 1981, Journal of educational psychology.

[41]  B. Long.  Relation between Coping Strategies, Sex-Typed Traits, and Environmental Characteristics: A Comparison of Male and Female Managers. , 1990 .

[42]  William B. Michael,et al.  Performance on creativity measures with examination‐taking instructions intended to induce high or low levels of test anxiety , 1990 .

[43]  Michael A. McDaniel,et al.  Differential validity by sex in employment settings , 1992 .

[44]  R. Goffin,et al.  Is the Test Attitude Survey Psychometrically Sound? , 2003 .

[45]  S. Folkman,et al.  The Ways of Coping Questionnaires , 1988 .

[46]  K. Hill,et al.  Children's Achievement Strategies and Test Performance: The Role of Time Pressure, Evaluation Anxiety, and Sex. , 1986 .

[47]  Douglas N. Jackson,et al.  Criterion validation of two approaches to performance appraisal: The behavioral observation scale and the relative percentile method , 1996 .

[48]  S. Rynes,et al.  The Importance of Recruitment in Job Choice: A Different Way of Looking , 2006 .

[49]  Douglas N. Jackson,et al.  Personality Research Form , 1969 .

[50]  Douglas N. Jackson,et al.  META‐ANALYSIS OF PERSONALITY‐JOB PERFORMANCE RELATIONS: A REPLY TO ONES, MOUNT, BARRICK, AND HUNTER (1994) , 1994 .

[51]  Ann Marie Ryan,et al.  Test-taking dispositions: A missing link? , 1992 .

[52]  L. Morris,et al.  Cognitive and Emotional Components of Test Anxiety: A Distinction and Some Initial Data , 1967, Psychological reports.

[53]  I. Sarason.  Intellectual and personality correlates of test anxiety. , 1959, Journal of abnormal and social psychology.

[54]  P. Dobson.  An Investigation into the Relationship between Neuroticism, Extraversion and Cognitive Test Performance in Selection , 2000 .

[55]  T. Cleary.  TEST BIAS: PREDICTION OF GRADES OF NEGRO AND WHITE STUDENTS IN INTEGRATED COLLEGES , 1968 .

[56]  Janet Shibley Hyde,et al.  Women, Motivation, and Achievement , 2001 .

[57]  C. Fletcher,et al.  A study of state, trait, and test anxiety, and their relationship to assessment center performance. , 1997 .

[58]  N. Schmitt,et al.  Sex differences in validity for academic and employment criteria, and different types of predictors , 1978 .

[59]  R. Goffin,et al.  Measuring job interview anxiety: Beyond weak knees and sweaty palms. , 2004 .

[60]  E. Ross.  Resisting Test Mania. From the Editor. , 1999 .

[61]  C. Steele.  A threat in the air. How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. , 1997, The American psychologist.

[62]  M. Zeidner,et al.  Test Anxiety: The State of the Art , 1998 .

[63]  S. Folkman,et al.  Stress, appraisal, and coping , 1974 .