On the Interplay of Emotion and Cognitive Control: Implications for Enhancing Academic Achievement

Abstract Whether or not students are able to perform up to their potential in the classroom can be influenced by their perceptions of situational pressures to perform at a high level, their anxiety about succeeding in subjects such as math, and even the awareness of negative academic stereotypes regarding the ability of the gender or racial group to which students belong. In this chapter, we provide an overview of research that has been conducted to date on a diverse set of negative emotion-inducing situations known to influence performance in the classroom. Despite differences in the stressful academic situations that students encounter, we propose that a common set of mechanisms operate to affect performance. We conclude by outlining work exploring classroom interventions designed to ensure that all students perform at their best in important learning and testing situations.