Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Effects Of Trait Anxiety And Situational Stress On Attentional Shifting Are Buffered By Working Memory Capacity, Mark Edwards, Phillipa Moore, James Champion, Elizabeth Edwards
Effects Of Trait Anxiety And Situational Stress On Attentional Shifting Are Buffered By Working Memory Capacity, Mark Edwards, Phillipa Moore, James Champion, Elizabeth Edwards
Mark Edwards
Background and Objectives: Attentional Control Theory (ACT) predicts that trait anxiety and situation stress combine to reduce performance efficiency on tasks requiring rapid shifts in attention. Recent evidence has also suggested that working memory capacity (WMC) might moderate this relationship. We controlled for methodological difficulties in the existing literature to investigate the relationships between trait anxiety, situational stress, and WMC on attentional shifting. Design and Method: Seventy undergraduate students participated in the study. Trait anxiety was operationalized using questionnaire scores, situational stress was manipulated through a pressured counting task, and WMC was based on performance on the Automated Operation Span …