Test anxiety shapes theta band activity linked to elevated working memory load during the encoding phase

IF 2.7 3区医学 Q1 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Biological Psychology Pub Date : 2025-05-01 DOI:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2025.109047

Hua Wei , Jiali Sun , Fangfang Long

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Test anxiety is a prevalent issue among students, recognized for its disruptive impact on working memory through the depletion of attentional control resources; however, its precise effect on the underlying processes of working memory remains insufficiently understood. This study investigated the impact of test anxiety on neural oscillatory patterns during a Sternberg working memory task with three levels of cognitive load (2, 4 and 8 letters), using EEG. Participants with high test anxiety (HTA) and low test anxiety (LTA) were compared. Results showed that under the 4-letter condition, HTA individuals exhibited reduced involvement of top-down attentional control compared to LTA individuals, characterized by decreased theta activity during the encoding phase. For LTA individuals, theta activity increased with cognitive load from 2 to 4 letters during the encoding phase but plateaued beyond 4 letters, while HTA individuals showed no significant theta modulation across loads. These findings highlighted the nuanced effect of test anxiety on working memory neural dynamics under varying cognitive loads. This study showed that test anxiety reduced theta band activity during the working memory encoding phase under medium load due to insufficient attentional control; and the cognitive load effect on theta band activity during the encoding phase was influenced by test anxiety level.

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在编码阶段，考试焦虑会形成与工作记忆负荷升高有关的θ波带活动

考试焦虑是学生中普遍存在的问题，它通过耗尽注意力控制资源对工作记忆产生破坏性影响；然而，它对工作记忆的潜在过程的确切影响仍然没有得到充分的了解。本研究利用脑电图（EEG）研究了三个认知负荷水平（2、4和8个字母）的Sternberg工作记忆任务中考试焦虑对神经振荡模式的影响。高考试焦虑（HTA）和低考试焦虑（LTA）的参与者进行比较。结果表明，在4个字母条件下，HTA个体比LTA个体表现出自上而下的注意控制参与减少，其特征是编码阶段theta活动减少。在编码阶段，LTA个体的theta活动随着认知负荷的增加而增加，但超过4个字母后趋于平稳，而HTA个体在不同负荷下没有显著的theta调制。这些发现强调了在不同认知负荷下，考试焦虑对工作记忆神经动力学的微妙影响。本研究表明，中等负荷下，由于注意控制不足，考试焦虑降低了工作记忆编码阶段的θ波活动；认知负荷对编码阶段θ波段活动的影响受考试焦虑水平的影响。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Biological Psychology 医学-行为科学

CiteScore

4.20

自引率

11.50%

发文量

146

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Biological Psychology publishes original scientific papers on the biological aspects of psychological states and processes. Biological aspects include electrophysiology and biochemical assessments during psychological experiments as well as biologically induced changes in psychological function. Psychological investigations based on biological theories are also of interest. All aspects of psychological functioning, including psychopathology, are germane. The Journal concentrates on work with human subjects, but may consider work with animal subjects if conceptually related to issues in human biological psychology.