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

Abstract EN

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.