A comparison of cue-controlled relaxation and study skills counseling in the treatment of mathematics anxiety.

36 undergraduates were assigned to 1 of 4 experimental conditions: (a) mathematics study skills training, (b) cue-controlled relaxation, (c) a combined study skills and cue-controlled relaxation treatment, or (d) no treatment. Data from both the self-report and performance domains were collected at pre- and posttreatment and at a 3-wk follow-up (Mathematics Anxiety Scale, Anxiety Differential, Test Anxiety Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Digit Symbol Test and Differential Aptitude Test). Results indicate that the study skills condition produced significant improvements on self-reported mathematics anxiety and mathematics performance, and the cue-controlled relaxation and combined conditions led to significant declines in generalized test anxiety. By follow-up, however, cue-controlled relaxation was found to be superior to the other treatments on level of mathematics anxiety and performance. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

EMG biofeedback training versus systematic desensitization for test anxiety reduction.

Investigated EMG biofeedback training as a method to reduce test anxiety among 40 university students. A procedure combining EMG biofeedback training with systematic desensitization (SD) was compared to an automated SD program not using EMG feedback. The study also evaluated the effectiveness of EMG feedback relaxation training without SD. Ss were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: (a) EMG biofeedback training with SD, (b) EMG biofeedback relaxation training, (c) automated SD, and (d) no-treatment control. At the end of the program, all participants were administered the Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale, Sarason's Test Anxiety Scale, and an anagrams test, given under threat conditions. Results suggest that EMG biofeedback training is a useful technique for reducing test anxiety, but not necessarily more effective than SD. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of EMG biofeedback and relaxation training in the prevention of academic underachievement.

Examined whether 3 techniques commonly used to treat anxiety (anxiety management training, EMG biofeedback, and stress-management training) could be used to prevent the academic underachievement associated with anxiety in college students. 19 anxious freshman women (identified by a test battery that included the Achievement Anxiety Test, Eysenck Personality Inventory, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) each completed 6 sessions of either anxiety-management or stress-management training with live instruction. Additionally, each S received 6 sessions of either EMG biofeedback or taped instruction. All 4 treatment combinations successfully reduced both somatic and cognitive anxiety symptoms. The average GPA of the experimental Ss was significantly higher than that of matched no-treatment controls. These findings suggest that early intervention for academic anxiety may be beneficial. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of modifying cognitive versus emotionality responses in the treatment of test anxiety.

Attempted to test the differential effects of treating the cognitive and emotionality response components of test anxiety specified by R. M. Liebert and L. W. Morris (see record 1967-13649-001). 48 test-anxious college students were assigned randomly to one of 4 groups: an attentional treatment, in which attention to task-relevant cues was reinforced; a relaxation treatment, in which relaxation responses were reinforced; a combined attentional-relaxation treatment; and a waiting-list control group. All Ss were administered the Alpert-Haber Achievement Anxiety Test, the Emotionality and Worry Scales of Liebert and Morris, the Wonderlic Personnel Test, and a digit symbols test in a group setting before and after treatment. Although significant treatment effects were found on 3 of 4 self-report measures, the results fail to support the specific predictions that emotionality-focused treatments would reduce scores on measures of debilitating anxiety and emotionality without affecting scores on worry and that cognition-focused treatments would reduce scores on measures of debilitating anxiety and worry without affecting scores on emotionality. In addition, significant performance changes were not obtained by any group. An alternate theory of test anxiety appears to account more adequately for the results. Questions are raised regarding the constancy of the relationship between test anxiety and performance. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Performance, cognition, and physiological responding in test anxiety.

Autonomic (skin conductance and resistance, heart rate, and heart rate variability), self-report (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and causal attributions of task performance), and performance (modified Stroop Color–Word Test and 8 difficult anagrams) measures of anxiety were collected from 36 test-anxious and 36 non-test-anxious (Test Anxiety Scale) female undergraduates in an analog testing situation under 3 experimental conditions. High-test-anxious (HTA) Ss performed more poorly and reported higher levels of anxious arousal and worry in the analog testing situation than low-test-anxious (LTA) Ss. Also, self-evaluations of test performance made by HTA Ss differed from those made by LTA Ss in being more negative and unrelated to actual test performance. However, HTA and LTA Ss showed virtually identical changes in electrodermal activity and heart rate in response to the stress of the testing situation. Only heart rate variability, which appeared to reflect differences in the cognitive and attentional responses of the test anxiety groups, successfully differentiated HTA and LTA Ss. Results support cognitive formulations of test anxiety and indicate that deficits in information processing associated with test anxiety do not result from maladaptive levels of autonomic arousal. (56 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A controlled evaluation of paraspinal EMG biofeedback in the treatment of chronic low back pain.

66 chronic low back pain sufferers (aged 20–65 yrs) were randomly divided into 3 equal groups. Ss completed a psychological test battery that included the Beck Depression Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; pain monitoring measures, including the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ); and measurement of paraspinal electromyogram (EMG). One group then received paraspinal EMG biofeedback, 1 group received placebo treatment, and the 3rd group received no intervention. All Ss were reassessed immediately after treatment and at 3-mo follow-up. Results show that all groups showed significant reductions in pain, anxiety, depression, and paraspinal EMG following treatment and at follow-up, but there were no differences between groups. A regression analysis failed to identify Ss' characteristics that predicted positive outcome in the biofeedback group. However, high scores on the Evaluative scale of the MPQ and high hypnotizability were significant predictors of positive outcome for the placebo group. It is concluded that paraspinal EMG biofeedback is not a specific treatment for chronic low back pain in a nonhospitalized population. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Capacity for absorption and relaxation during electromyograph biofeedback and no-feedback conditions.

Examined the relation between absorption capacity and relaxation during EMG biofeedback and no-feedback (instructions only) conditions. 16 high absorption and 16 low absorption female undergraduates underwent a biofeedback and a no-feedback session with the order of conditions counterbalanced. For high absorption Ss in the 1st session, EMG reductions were greater during no-feedback than during biofeedback, although the performance of biofeedback Ss improved in the 2nd session. For low absorption Ss, no differences in EMG reductions were apparent across experimental conditions. Postexperimental self-report data demonstrated differences between absorption groups in Ss' state of arousal and quality of consciousness. It is concluded that for Ss with high capacity for absorbed attention, experimental conditions that allow for a withdrawal from the external environment are most conducive to relaxation, whereas for Ss with limited capacity for absorbed attention, conditions such as biofeedback that place an attentional demand on Ss may be preferable. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reactive effects of self-monitoring anxiety.

Taught 80 18–52 yr old Ss to use J. Wolpe's (1969) notion of subjective units of disturbance (SUDS) to monitor anxiety on an ongoing basis. Two studies were conducted to test for reactive effects of the self-monitoring. In the 1st study, statistically reliable decrements in SUDS levels and IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire scores were found for Ss in the self-monitoring treatment condition. The 2nd study incorporated self-monitoring, EMG biofeedback, and a no-contact control group. Statistically reliable decrements to IPAT scores and frontal EMG were observed in both treatment conditions, whereas the control-group measures remained unchanged. No significant differences between the 2 treatment groups were observed on either measure. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group vicarious desensitization of test anxiety.

Examined whether vicarious desensitization, using videotapes and a small group format, could be used as a treatment for test anxiety. 43 test anxious college students were administered the Test Anxiety Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Ss received either vicarious desensitization, study skills training, or both treatments; there was also a no-treatment control condition. Self-report measures indicated that vicarious desensitization resulted in lower test and trait anxiety than study-skills training alone or no treatment. Academic performance measures, obtained posttreatment and at a 3-mo follow-up, indicated no differential effectiveness. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Applied relaxation as training in self-control.

81 test-anxious (Sarason's Test Anxiety Questionnaire) undergraduates who were high or low in general anxiety (the Trait form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory--T-STAI) were treated with 1 of 4 procedures: applied relaxation, systematic desensitization, relaxation only, or no treatment (control). The effectiveness of each procedure both in reducing test anxiety and in generalizing to other fears was assessed with 3 measures of test anxiety (Suinn Test Anxiety Behavior Scale, Wonderlic Personnel Test, and the State form of the STAI) and 3 measures of general anxiety (T-STAI, Institute for Personality and Ability Testing Anxiety Scale, and Geer's Fear Survey Schedule). Results indicate that applied relaxation was more effective in reducing anxiety than both relaxation only and no treatment on 2 of the measures of general anxiety and 2 of the measures of test anxiety, although significant differences between applied relaxation and systematic desensitization were limited to only 1 measure. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognition and desensitization in the group treatment of test anxiety.

Assessed the comparative effectiveness of cognitive, arousal reduction, and combined cognitive and arousal reduction treatments for test anxiety. 48 test-anxious volunteers who had scored above 32 on the Debilitating Anxiety scale of the Alpert-Haber Achievement Anxiety Test were assigned randomly to 1 of 2 graduate-student therapists, who provided (a) cognitive therapy, (b) systematic desensitization, (c) a combination of cognitive therapy and systematic desensitization, or (d) a pseudotherapy control procedure. 12 other test-anxious Ss were assigned to a waiting-list control group. Test anxiety was assessed both on self-report measures, in an analog testing situation prior to treatment, at the completion of treatment, and at a 1-mo follow-up. GPA was also used as a measure of academic performance. Results indicate that cognitive therapy was more effective in reducing anxiety in the analog testing situation and improving GPA than other treatment and control procedures. Systematic desensitization, combined systematic desensitization and cognitive therapy, and the pseudotherapy control procedure were not reliably different from one another. Results underline the effectiveness of cognitive therapy in treating test anxiety. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of electromyographic feedback and progressive relaxation training in treating circumscribed anxiety stress reactions.

Examined the effects of EMG feedback and progressive relaxation training on the anxiety stress reactions of patients having recurrent, negative reactions to dental treatment. 21 21–48 yr old Ss were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: EMG feedback, progressive relaxation, or control. Four dependent measures—EMG level, Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), and State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (A-State and A-Trait)—were collected for dental appointments before and after training. Results show significant, comparable decreases in EMG levels across dental appointments for both EMG feedback and progressive relaxation groups but not for the control group. On the DAS and A-State measures, significant decreases in all groups were found. Although the decreases shown by the EMG feedback and progressive relaxation groups did not differ significantly from each other, they were both significantly greater than the decrease shown by the control group. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-administered relaxation training and money deposits in the treatment of recurrent anxiety.

Evaluated 2 self-administered relaxation manuals and a money deposit in the treatment of recurrent, nonphobic anxiety in 61 18–44 yr old Ss from a college population. Ss were randomly assigned to a self-monitoring-only control group or 1 of 4 active treatment conditions. Ss in active conditions received a progressive relaxation manual or a manual that called for the client to devise his or her own relaxation method and were assigned to deposit or nondeposit conditions. Improvement did not differ for the 2 relaxation procedures, but relaxation training groups improved significantly more than self-monitoring-only Ss on both self-report questionnaires and self-monitored measures of anxiety. The deposit did not produce greater amounts of relaxation practice or adherence to the program, although Ss in this condition reported being more relaxed in practice sessions and improved more on 2 pre–post measures of anxiety (including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). Ss' locus of control scores (Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale) were significantly related to a number of practice, adherence, and outcome variables, but Ss' ratings of the likelihood that they would practice and benefit from the program proved to be as good predictors. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactive effects of test anxiety, test difficulty, and feedback.

Examined interactive effects of item difficulty, test anxiety, and failure feedback in a study of 67 undergraduates (mean age 20.1 yrs) using multiple-choice verbal aptitude items. Ss' levels of test anxiety were measured on the Achievement Anxiety Test and the Test Anxiety Scale. Ss were then randomly assigned to receive either a hard or an easy test either with or without immediate feedback. Results indicate that ability estimates can be affected in complex ways by the examinee's anxiety level. The least anxious Ss in the sample did best on a very hard test, and moderately anxious Ss did best on an easy test, whereas the most anxious Ss did poorly on both tests. In addition, it was found that immediate feedback improved performance, especially for Ss given an easy test. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of transcendental meditation and muscle relaxation on trait anxiety, maladjustment, locus of control, and drug use.

Randomly assigned 60 undergraduate volunteers to receive training in transcendental meditation (TM), training in a muscle relaxation technique, or no treatment. The training in muscle relaxation was designed to be maximally similar in structure and atmosphere to training in TM. The Adjective Check List, Behavioral Anxiety Measure, Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale, Incomplete Sentence Test, and other personality and drug-use measures were administered before and after the 9-wk treatment period. On the behavioral measure of trait anxiety, the scores of all 3 groups decreased equally, but on the self-report measure the TM Ss reported steady decreases in anxiety, whereas the scores of the other 2 groups remained unchanged. There were no differences in maladjustment, locus of control, or drug use as a function of treatment. Although TM Ss held higher expectancies for benefits and were slightly more regular in practicing their technique, individual differences in expectancy and frequency of practice were not correlated with degree of reported anxiety reduction. It is concluded that TM may reduce trait anxiety, but it has not been shown to be of value in inducing general personality change. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

EMG biofeedback training of Type A and Type B behavior pattern subjects.

Assessed the relative efficacy of EMG biofeedback training to reduce tension levels in Ss characterized either by the presence of the coronary-prone behavior pattern (Type A) or by its absence (Type B). 55 college students, classified as Type A or B on the basis of Jenkins Activity Survey (Form T) scores, were randomly assigned to either a biofeedback or a control group. Ss met for 6 training sessions, then returned for a 7th session to perform without biofeedback a series of easy (4-digit recall) and difficult (7-digit recall) tasks. Biofeedback Ss attained a greater degree of relaxation during training than did control Ss, regardless of A/B status. Also, biofeedback Ss maintained greater relaxation during task performance than did control Ss. Across groups, Type A's performed significantly better than Type B's on difficult tasks, and although Type A biofeedback Ss had EMG levels as high as Type B controls for the actual duration of performance tasks, they maintained significantly lower EMG levels than either group prior to, between, and after performance tasks. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)