EXTRA CREDIT #1 PSYC 2210

Dynamising Performance During Cognitive Interference

ABSTRACT

  • The study examines the role of Anxiety, Mindfulness, and Self-efficacy in relation to Cognitive Interference.
  • Anxiety: Defined as a complex blend of unpleasant emotions and cognitions oriented toward the future and more diffuse than fear (Barlow, 2002).
  • Mindfulness: A psychological state of awareness defined as "moment-by-moment awareness" (Brown et al., 2007).
  • Self Efficacy: The interpretation individuals give to their own performance and achievement (Hudson, 2007).
  • Sample: 89 students from Government schools in Chandigarh, aged 14-18 years (Mean age = 15.9 years).
  • The analysis shows performance differences across varying levels of anxiety, mindfulness, and self-efficacy while handling cognitive conflict.

INTRODUCTION

  • Mindfulness encompasses:
    • A psychological state of awareness.
    • A practice that promotes awareness.
    • A mode of processing information.
  • Research suggests mindfulness enhances executive functioning and improves working memory and well-being (Prakash et al., 2014).
  • fMRI Studies: Show mindfulness increases positive affect while decreasing anxiety and negative affect (Farb et al., 2010).
  • High mindfulness scores correlate with a decline in anxiety.
  • The Attentional Control Theory suggests anxiety increases stimulus-driven system influences over goal-directed processes, decreasing attentional control and cognitive performance (Eysenck et al., 2007).
  • Anxiety is linked to self-efficacy, which increases effort and persistence in challenging tasks (Axtell & Parker, 2003).
  • The Stroop Color-Word Task, known to measure cognitive conflict performance (Stroop, 1935), shows that mindful individuals display less Stroop interference.
  • Anxiety interferes with learning and may lead to loss of focus and attentional control regarding task details (Nadeem et al., 2012).
  • Koh (2003) discusses self-efficacy influences on responses in cognitive tasks.
  • The overall aim is to probe differences in cognitive performance across mindfulness, anxiety, and self-efficacy groups.

METHODOLOGY

Sample
  • 89 students (43 boys & 46 girls) aged 14-18 years (Mean age = 15.9 years) were randomly selected from Government schools in Chandigarh.
Measures Used
  1. Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (Brown & Ryan, 2003): 15 items on a 6-point Likert scale (1 = Almost always to 6 = Almost never).
  2. IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire (Cattell & Scheier, 1963): 40 items with responses of 'Yes', 'No', or 'Sometimes'.
  3. General Self Efficacy Scale (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995): 10 items on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Not at all true to 4 = Exactly true).
  4. Stroop Task (Stroop, 1935): Measures inhibition and interference in executive control, participants name ink colors of presented color nouns; errors marked for scoring.
Design
  • Conducted three one-way ANOVAs for examining Stroop task performance across high, moderate, and low levels of mindfulness, anxiety, and self-efficacy.
  • Included intercorrelation analysis.
PROCEDURE
Phase I
  • Classification based on mindfulness, self-efficacy, and anxiety:
    1. Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS): Classified into three groups based on Mean ± ½ SD.
    • Low Mindfulness (a1), Moderate Mindfulness (a2), High Mindfulness (a3).
    • Mean Mindfulness score: 3.76, SD: 0.86.
    • Distribution: Low (N1=21), Moderate (N2=30), High (N3=38).
    1. IPAT Anxiety Scale: Same methodology applies to classify into Low Anxiety (b1), Moderate Anxiety (b2), and High Anxiety (b3).
    • Mean Anxiety score: 37.30, SD: 7.36.
    • Distribution: Low (N1=24), Moderate (N2=36), High (N3=29).
    1. General Self Efficacy Scale: Classify into Low Self-efficacy (c1), Moderate Self-efficacy (c2), High Self-efficacy (c3).
    • Mean Self-efficacy score: 29.82, SD: 4.89.
    • Distribution: Low (N1=31), Moderate (N2=22), High (N3=36).
Phase II
  • Conduct individual Stroop task experiments across groups for performance assessment: 5 trials with 12 sub-trials each, presenting color nouns for 1.25 seconds.
  • Error responses recorded post each trial with randomized conditions to minimize habituation and anticipation.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

  • Aim: Study task performance differentiation based on Mindfulness, Anxiety, and Self-efficacy levels among adolescents, and to examine intercorrelations:
  1. Intercorrelations (Table 7): Mindfulness and Anxiety significantly negatively correlated.
    • Mindfulness negatively impacts Anxiety (Correlation: -0.40**).
    • Anxiety negatively influences Self-efficacy (Correlation: -0.45**).
    • Mindfulness positively correlates with Self-efficacy (Correlation: 0.37**).
  2. Mindfulness Performance (Table 8):
    • High Mindfulness group: 6.90 mean errors.
    • Moderate Mindfulness group: 8.86 mean errors.
    • Low Mindfulness group: 13.19 mean errors.
    • ANOVA result: F(2, 60) = 14.09**, p < 0.01 — significant differences across mindfulness levels in errors.
    • Higher mindfulness correlates with improved performance due to increased efficiency observed neurologically (Moore et al., 2012).
  3. Anxiety Performance (Table 10):
    • Low Anxiety group: 6.33 mean errors.
    • Moderate Anxiety group: 9.13 mean errors.
    • High Anxiety group: 16.92 mean errors.
    • ANOVA result: F(2, 69) = 34.56**, p < 0.01 — significant differences among anxiety levels in cognitive performance.
    • Low Anxiety enhances cognitive output, spotlighting the impact of anxiety levels on task execution (Chhabra and Parveen, 2015).
  4. Self-efficacy Performance (Table 12):
    • Low self-efficacy: 16.82 mean errors.
    • Moderate self-efficacy: 7.27 mean errors (best performance).
    • High self-efficacy: 13.36 mean errors.
    • ANOVA result: F(2, 63) = 18.28**, p < 0.01 — moderate self-efficacy significantly influences performance positively.
    • Reflects Bandura's viewpoint that higher self-efficacy connects to better task engagement and outcomes.

CONCLUSION

  • Findings indicate that moderate self-efficacy minimizes errors in task execution — essential for fostering interest and effort in activities (Bandura, 1986).
  • Anxiety distracts through worry, draining resources needed for active engagement, leading to reactive control modes in anxious individuals (Braver, 2012).
  • High mindfulness correlates with better attentional functioning.
  • Overall, optimal performance associated with high mindfulness, moderate self-efficacy, and low anxiety levels.

IMPLICATIONS OF RESEARCH FOR PRACTICE

  • Insights suggest relevance to mental health, with potential for decreased anxiety leading to improved attention and performance in adolescents.
  • Increasing mindfulness evident as beneficial in situations demanding a balance between cognitive and emotional factors.

REFERENCES

  • Axtell, C. & Parker, S. (2003). Promoting role breadth self-efficacy through involvement, work redesign, and training. Human Relations.
  • Barlow, D. H. (2002). Anxiety and its disorders: the nature and treatment of anxiety and panic. Guilford Press.
  • Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist.
  • Braver, T. S. (2012). The variable nature of cognitive control: a dual mechanisms framework. Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
  • Brown, K. W. et al. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry.
  • Cattell, R. B. & Scheier, I. H. (1963). Handbook for the IPAT anxiety scale questionnaire. Institute for Personality and Ability Testing.
  • Chhabra, H. K. & Parveen, H. (2015). Anxiety and Stroop Performance. The International Journal of Indian Psychology.
  • Eysenck, M. W. et al. (2007). Anxiety and cognitive performance: The processing efficiency theory. Emotion.
  • Farb, N. A. S. et al. (2010). Minding one’s emotions: Mindfulness training alters the neural expression of sadness. Emotion.
  • Hudson, W. E. (2007). Relationship between academic self-efficacy and resilience.
  • Khan, A. et al. (2015). Role of Self-Esteem and General Self-Efficacy in Teachers’ Efficacy in Primary Schools. Psychology.
  • Koch, C. (2003). Self monitoring need for cognition, and The stroop effect. Perceptual and Motor Skills.
  • Moore, A. et al. (2012). Regular, brief mindfulness meditation practice improves electrophysiological markers of attentional control. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
  • Nadeem, M. et al. (2012). Impact of anxiety on academic achievement at university levels. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences.
  • Prakash, R. S. et al. (2014). Mindfulness and the aging brain. Front Aging Neuroscience.
  • Schwarzer, R. & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalised self-efficacy scale. In Measures in health psychology.
  • Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  • H. K. Chhabra, Professor — Department of Psychology, Panjab University, Chandigarh.
  • Heena Parveen, Senior Research Fellow — Department of Psychology, Panjab University, Chandigarh.