Examination Stress Results in Attentional Bias and Altered Neural Reactivity in Test-Anxious Individuals

Neural Plast. 2018 Mar 20:2018:3281040. doi: 10.1155/2018/3281040. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Examination stress occurs so frequently in the lives of students. The neural mechanisms of attentional bias induced by examination stress in test-anxious individuals remain unclear. Accordingly, we investigated the attentional bias toward test-related threatening words in selected high and low test-anxious participants under the stress of final examinations by using an event-related potential (ERP) technique. A classic dot-probe paradigm was adopted with a test-related/test-unrelated threatening word and a neutral word pair as cues. Results showed attention bias and enhanced N200 amplitude toward test-related threat in high test-anxious individuals, whereas avoidance of test-related threat and decreased N200 amplitude were shown in low test-anxious individuals. Additionally, ERP data revealed the relatively enhanced LPP amplitude in low test-anxious participants compared with that in high test-anxious participants. No attentional bias toward test-unrelated threat was found. In conclusion, examination stress resulted in attentional bias and functional perturbations of a brain circuitry that reacted rapidly to test-related threat in high test-anxious individuals.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anxiety / physiopathology*
  • Anxiety / psychology*
  • Attentional Bias / physiology*
  • Brain / physiology
  • Brain / physiopathology
  • Electroencephalography / methods
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Nerve Net / physiopathology
  • Photic Stimulation / methods
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology*
  • Reaction Time / physiology
  • Test Anxiety Scale*
  • Young Adult