Diagnosing and alleviating the impact of performance pressure on mathematical problem solving

Abstract

High-pressure academic testing situations can lead people to perform below their actual ability levels by co-opting working memory (WM) resources needed for the task at hand (Beilock, 2008). In the current work we examine how performance pressure impacts WM and design an intervention to alleviate pressure's negative impact. Specifically, we explore the hypothesis that high-pressure situations trigger distracting thoughts and worries that rely heavily on verbal WM. Individuals performed verbally based and spatially based mathematics problems in a low-pressure or high-pressure testing situation. Results demonstrated that performance on problems that rely heavily on verbal WM resources was less accurate under high-pressure than under low-pressure tests. Performance on spatially based problems that do not rely heavily on verbal WM was not affected by pressure. Moreover, the more people reported worrying during test performance, the worse they performed on the verbally based (but not spatially based) maths problems. Asking some individuals to focus on the problem steps by talking aloud helped to keep pressure-induced worries at bay and eliminated pressure's negative impact on performance.

Autodiálogos y rendimiento académico en estudiantes universitarios

“…The studies reviewed appear to verify the effects of self-talk on performance when the evaluation is preceded by the use of instructional self-talk compared with when self-talk is suppressed (DeCaro et al, 2010), or by the use of positive compared to negative self-talk (Cumming, Nordin, Horton, & Reynolds, 2006). In these works, and in many others, self-talk is contingent upon performance of the task.…”

“…Most studies have consistently supported a role for the use of positive self-talk compared to no self-talk (DeCaro et al 2010;Emerson & Miyake, 2003). In fact, the suppression of self-talk, by making students perform another simple verbal task at the same time as the main task, can affect self-control, leading to a more impulsive behaviour (Tullett & Inzlicht, 2010) and decreasing performance in the task (Emerson & Miyake, 2003;Goschke, 2000;Miyake, Emerson, Padilla, & Ahn, 2004).…”

“…Hence, self-talk is especially common in tasks individuals find difficult to perform (Duncan & Cheyne, 2001). In a study by Manning (1990), the children used more self-talk when they were weak at some verbal or mathematical skill; also, DeCaro et al (2010) showed that saying aloud the steps required to resolve a difficult academic task when under pressure (instructional dialogue) helped students to control the anxiety and stress that affected their performance in the task. These self-instructions, used by the participants when switching tasks, tend to favour performance, suggesting that verbal self-guidance helps to increase executive control (Emerson & Miyake, 2003).…”

“…In spite of its ubiquity and frequency, self-talk, a phenomenon that has been paid little interest by academic psychology receives considerable attention in applied settings because of the relationship it is credited to have with performance, whether this be academic (DeCaro, Rotar, Kendra, & Beilock, 2010;Winsler & Naglieri, 2003), workrelated (Brown, 2003;Latham & Budworth, 2006), artistic (Broomhead, Skidmore, Eggett, & Mills, 2010) or, especially, in sport (Hardy, 2006;Hatzigeorgiadis, Theodorakis, & Zourbanos, 2004;Theodorakis, Weinberg, Natsis, Douma, & Kazakas, 2000). In the light of this evidence, research has steadily progressed towards identifying the functions and mechanisms underlying the effect of self-talk on performance (Hatzigeorgiadis, Zourbanos, Goltsios, & Theodorakis, 2008).…”

The impact of mindfulness and test anxiety on academic performance.

“…A related body of research has demonstrated that high-pressure testing situations generally increased worrying and negative thinking in participants, which reduced performance on WM-demanding math problems (DeCaro, Rotar, Kendra, & Beilock, 2010). Other research has demonstrated that even mild symptoms of anxiety on visual and auditory tasks can lead to poor working memory performance, poor concentration on said tasks, and possibly poor academic performance (Aronen, Vuontela, Steenari, Salmi, & Carlson, 2005).…”