Anxiety-Effect-on-SEI

The purpose of our experiment was to determine if higher levels of state anxiety would lead to lower self-estimates of intelligence among undergraduate students. Undergraduate research project completed at the University at Buffalo.

Research Question:

• Does state anxiety have an effect on self-estimated of intelligence?

Hypothesis:

• Higher levels of state anxiety will lead to lower self-estimates of intelligence.
  • survey ruled that 21.9% of students stated that their anxiety directly affected their performance in the classroom and during tests. (Brown, 2016).
  • Physiological symptoms have been found to result in poor test performance and effect previous study habits (Furnham & Chamorro-Permuzic, 2004)
• No state anxiety present will result in no changes in self-estimates of intelligence.
  • “Self-beliefs affect cognitive performance either as impediments (anxiety) or facilitators (good calibration of self-efficacy and confidence)”. (Stankov, 2017).
  • Study: there is a correlation between achievement and self-estimates of intelligence. (Stankov, 2017)

Method:

Participants:

• 40 University at Buffalo students
  • 23 female, 17 males
  • Age range: 18-30 (M=20.8, SD=2.46)
• Experimental group (20) and control group (20)

Materials:

• State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)
• Self-Estimates of Intelligence test (SEI)

Conclusion:

• Original hypothesis “higher levels of state anxiety will lead to lower self-estimates of intelligence among undergraduate students” supported by results

• Inverse relationship between State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scores and Self-Estimates of Intelligence questionnaire scores

  • Higher scores on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory = Lower scores on Self Estimates of Intelligence questionnaire

• Verbal scores - Anxiety group had lower scores, they are rating their ability as lower prior to the test starting which caused lower verbal scores.