The Effects of Alternating Tones on Test Anxiety for Learning Disabled Community College Students
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Authors
Scanlin, Alissa E.
Issue Date
2003
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Thirty-five learning-disabled community college students participated in this study designed to examine the impact of alternating tones on their feelings of test anxiety. The experimental group listened to alternating left-right tones, while the control group heard the same tone bilaterally, without alternation. This study specifically examined two parts of the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) protocol: the use of alternating stimuli and the participants' ratings of Subjective Units of Disturbance (SUD). Subjects were pre- and post-tested with both the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). Subjects were randomly assigned to groups prior to determining the results of the pretests. Four hypotheses were tested. The first hypothesis was that the change from the baseline SUD rating to the SUD rating obtained after listening to four sets of tones would be greater for the experimental group (alternating tones) than for the control group (simultaneous tones). Although there was a trend that supported this hypothesis, the baseline ratings of the two groups actually indicated that they were samples of different populations. The second hypothesis was that the experimental group would have less test anxiety than the control group after listening to the tones. This hypothesis was not supported. The third hypothesis focused on the concept of experimenter demand. Each group was subdivided into two groups. Subjects in these "expectation" subgroups who heard instructions suggesting that the procedure would make them less anxious were expected to have lower test anxiety scores. This hypothesis was also not supported. The final hypothesis was based on earlier research that suggested a correlation between feelings of self-esteem and test anxiety. The fourth hypothesis was supported and showed a negative correlation between the two factors. Subjects with greater self-esteem had less test anxiety. Implications for the treatment of anxiety were discussed.