Writing about anxiety may boost test scores

January 15, 2011 at 2:25 pm (Health, Medical Discoveries) (Hriniak)

In the article, “Writing about anxiety may boost test scores“, it’s basically saying that if you write down what you’re worried about the day before a test, it could help your grade. Students spend a lot of time worrying and thinking they won’t do good, and that’s the only thing stuck in their head rather than the actual information needed for a test.

There were two studies taken to prove this theory correct. College students and 9th grade students were being watched to see if the kids who wrote down stuff before the test helped their grade or not. The result was a 12% decrease for those who didn’t write their stress down. There was a 5% increase to the students who did write their stress down.

Sian Beilock, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago said, “It’s as if your brain is a computer running too many programs at once.” What she’s saying is exactly true. As a student, I know I can say that there is a lot going on in my brain. Too many programs at once can be relatable to all students because we have so many classes. There’s more than 4 different subjects going into our brains and sometimes we’re just too stressed to focus on one thing during a test.

Beilock also said “And it has all sorts of applications outside the classroom – preparing for job interviews, speeches and big sports games, to name a few.” This shows that not only before a test, pretty much writing down what you’re stressed about can help. It’s kind of like a diary, if you think about it. When you let out what you’re feeling, it’s better.

Further tests going on with this theory are going to be trying it out on younger students, and seeing exactly how writing can affect the brain.

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/13/writing-about-anxiety-may-boost-test-scores/