The Effect of Strengthening Memory Representations on Self-Esteem in People with Test Anxiety: A Pilot Study

Authors
Mohammad Khodayarifard
Elaheh Hejazi
Masoud Lavasani
Zeinab Azimi
Tehran University
Abstract
Low self-esteem is one of the key factors underlying psychopathology, such as test anxiety. It seems that the activation of positive self-representations in memory plays an important role in self-perception. The aim of this article was to determine the effect of strengthening memory representations on self-esteem in people with test anxiety. This study was based on a quasi-experimental design with pretest and post-test. According to retrieval competition approach, a training package was designed to promote self-esteem and after verifying its content validity by 5 expert psychologist, the intervention was administered in 10 sessions (a one-hour session per week). Participants were 10 high school students with test anxiety diagnosis which were selected by purposive and available sampling; and completed Spielberger Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) before and after the intervention and also one month follow up. Data analysis was performed using one-way trend analysis (one-way ANOVA with repeated measures). The results indicated that this intervention could lead to improve self-esteem and decrease test anxiety in participants (p˂0.01) and this trend continued until one month follow-up. As a result, it seems that interventions on the factors underlying psychopathology, such as low self-esteem, can have beneficial as well as proactive effects in this area and We may be able to make changes in self-concept even with no deliberate challenge to the thoughts.
Keywords
Representation
retrieval competition
Memory
self-esteem
test anxiety
intervention
Bäuml, K. H. & Schlichting, A. (2014). Memory retrieval as a self-propagating process. Cognition, 132, 16–21.
Brewin, Ch. R. (2006). Understanding cognitive behaviour therapy: A retrieval competition account. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 765–784.
Brown, L. A., Forman, E. M., Herbert, J. D., Hoffman, K. L., Yuen, E. K., & Goetter, E. M. (2011). A randomized controlled trial of acceptance-based behavior therapy and cognitive therapy for test anxiety: A pilot study. Behavior Modification, 35(1), 31–53.
Chadwick, P. M., Smyth, A., & Liao, L. M. (2014). Improving self-esteem in women diagnosed with Turner syndrome: results of a pilot intervention. Journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology, 27(3), 129-132.
Chapell, M. S., Blanding, Z. B., Silverstein, M. E., Takahashi, M., Newman, B., Gubi, A., & McCann, N. (2005). Test anxiety and academic performance in undergraduate and graduate students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(2), 268.
Clark, D. A. (1999). Scientific foundations of cognitive theory and therapy of depression. New York: Wiley.
Cornell, I. G. (2012). Test anxiety and academic performance in nursing: The effects of a test taking intervention (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? (2015)
Fennell, M. J. (2004). Depression, low self-esteem and mindfulness. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 42(9), 1053-1067.
Hollon, S. D. & Beck, A. T. (2003). Cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies. In: Lambert, M. J. (Ed.), Bergin and Garfield’s handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change (5th Ed., pp.393-443). New York: Wiley.
Korrelboom, K., Maarsingh, M., & Huijbrechts, I. (2012). Competitive memory training for treating low self‐esteem in patients with depressive disorders: a randomized clinical trial. Depression and anxiety, 29(2), 102-110.
Korrelboom, K., Marissen, M. & van Assendelft, T. (2011). Competitive memory training (comet) for low self-esteem in patients with personality disorders: a randomized effectiveness study. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 39 (1), 1–19.
Korrelboom, K., van der Weele, K., Gjaltema, M., & Hoogstraten, C. (2009). Competitive memory training for treating low self-esteem: A pilot study in a routine clinical setting. The Behavior Therapist, 32 (1), 3-8.
Orth, U., Robins, R. W., Trzesniewski, K. H., Maes, J., & Schmitt, M. (2009). Low self-esteem is a risk factor for depressive symptoms from young adulthood to old age. Journal of abnormal psychology, 118(3), 472.
Putwain, D.W., Langdale, H, C., Woods, K. A. & Nicholson, L. J. (2011) Developing and piloting a dot-probe measure of attentional bias for test anxiety, Learning and Individual Differences, 21(4), 478-482.
Roth, A. & Fonagy, P. (2005). What works for whom? A critical review of psychotherapy research (2nd Ed.). New York: Guilford.
Shi, Zh., Gao, X. & Zhou, R. (2014). Emotional working memory capacity in test anxiety. Learning and Individual Differences, 32, 178–183.
Spielberger, C. D. (1980). Test Anxiety Inventory: Sampler Set: Manual, Test Scoring:" test Attitude Inventory": Preliminary Professional Manual. Mind Garden.
Stankov, L. (2010). Unforgiving Confucian culture: A breeding ground for high academic achievement, test anxiety and self-doubt?. Learning and Individual Differences, 20(6), 555-563.
Szafranski, D. D., Barrera, T. L., & Norton. P. J. (2012). Test Anxiety Inventory: 30 years later. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 25, 667-677.
Zeidner, M. (2007). Test anxiety in educational contexts: Concepts, findings, and future directions. In P. A. Schutz, & R. Pekrun (Eds.), Emotion in education, (pp.165-184). Boston: Elsevier Academic Press.