Jamieson et al., 2016: Reading scientific articles regarding the adaptive functions of stress improved math grades among community college students
Reference:
Jamieson, J. P., Peters, B. J., Greenwood, E. J., & Altose, A. J. (2016). Reappraising stress arousal improves performance and reduces evaluation anxiety in classroom exam situations. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7(6), 579-587.
Download PDFSummary:
Community college students enrolled in a developmental (remedial) math program read prior to the second exam summaries of scientific articles that conveyed the adaptive functions of stress, including how the stress response evolved to help people address demands and that arousal can aid performance. As compared to a control condition urged to ignore stress in testing situations, those who received the treatment reported less evaluative math anxiety and performed better on Exam 2. They also performed marginally significantly better on subsequent class assignments.
Psychological Process:
What Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
Selves (My Own and Others')Approach to Desired Meaning
What about it?
Changing beliefs about emotions, states, and the valence of the self-conceptHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
Are current or upcoming emotions, states, and experiences negative and undermining?Are current or upcoming emotions, states, and experiences negative and undermining?Psychological Question Addressed
Are current or upcoming emotions, states, and experiences negative and undermining?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Social Area:
Education
Intervention Technique:
Prompting with information