Nathan C. Hall

Do Girls Really Experience More Anxiety in Mathematics

Two studies were conducted to examine gender differences in trait (habitual) versus state (momentary) mathematics anxiety in a sample of students (Study 1: N = 584; Study 2: N = 111). For trait math anxiety, the findings of both studies replicated previous research showing that female students report higher levels of anxiety than do male students. However, no gender differences were observed for state anxiety, as assessed using experience-sampling methods while students took a math test (Study 1) and attended math classes (Study 2). The discrepant findings for trait versus state math anxiety were partly accounted for by students’ beliefs about their competence in mathematics, with female students reporting lower perceived competence than male students despite having the same average grades in math. Implications for educational practices and the assessment of anxiety are discussed.

Primary and secondary control in academic development: gender-specific implications for stress and health in college students

Abstract During the first year of college, students are faced with numerous educational and personal stressors which can negatively impact their psychological and physical health. The present study examined the benefits of primary and secondary control for self-rated health in students based on Rothbaum, Weisz, and Synders (1982) dual-process model of control, and examined stress and gender as potential mediating variables. College students’ (n=888) primary and secondary academic control and perceived stress were assessed in the first semester, and self-rated global health, illness symptoms, and illness-related behaviors were assessed at the end of the academic year. For males, primary control was indirectly related to better overall health and fewer symptoms through lower stress levels, and both primary and secondary control directly corresponded to lower illness behaviors. For females, only secondary control was related to better overall health and illness symptoms, albeit indirectly through reduced stress. The mediational roles of stress and gender in health research on primary/secondary control and potential control-enhancing interventions are discussed.

Control Striving in Older Adults With Serious Health Problems: A 9-Year Longitudinal Study of Survival, Health, and Well-Being

The present longitudinal study of 143 older adults (73-98 years) with serious health problems (arthritis, heart disease, heart attack, stroke) examined the effects of goal engagement, disengagement, and self-protection control strategies on self-rated physical health (condition severity, functional status) and subjective well-being (life satisfaction) at 5 years and survival at 9 years. Main effects and interactions between strategy use and the occurrence of an acute vascular event (no, yes) as well as age (young-old vs. old-old) were assessed. As hypothesized, goal engagement predicted greater survival for individuals with acute conditions but poorer physical health for those with chronic conditions and among old-old adults. In contrast, goal disengagement predicted poorer physical health for those with acute conditions but better health for individuals with chronic conditions and old-old adults. Self-protective strategies (positive reappraisal) predicted greater survival, health, and subjective well-being for those with acute conditions, as well as better physical health for old-old adults.

Detrimental effects of falling on health and well-being in later life: the mediating roles of perceived control and optimism.

Falling is common among older adults, often resulting in decreased functional ability and quality of life. To understand processes underlying the fall/health and well-being relationship, it is important to identify psychosocial mediators. The current study examined the impact of falling on subsequent physical health, negative emotions and physical activity among 231 young-old (<85) and old-old (85+) community-dwelling adults, and the mediating effects of global perceived control (PC) and optimism. Regression results indicated that falling predicted poorer physical health, greater negative emotions and less physical activity among old-old but not young-old adults. Falling negatively predicted PC and optimism, which mediated the effects of falling on health and well-being among the old-old group. Findings have implications for enhancing recovery from falling via bolstering PC and optimism.

Between-Domain Relations of Academic Emotions: Does Having the Same Instructor Make a Difference?

Previous research indicates that academic emotions are largely organized along domain-specific lines. In the present study (N = 1,687; Grades 8/11), the authors explored the domain specificity of academic emotions in terms of the moderating influence of having the same versus a different course instructor across domains. The authors evaluated discrete emotions consisting of enjoyment, pride, anxiety, anger, and boredom as experienced in the academic domains of mathematics and physics. Consistent with previous findings, between-domain relations for these emotions were relatively weak. These relations were, however, significantly stronger in classes having the same instructor in mathematics and physics compared with classes having different instructors for each subject. Nevertheless, the between-domain relations in classes having the same instructor were not strong enough to disconfirm the domain-specific conceptualization of academic emotions. Last, the authors discuss directions for future research on additional factors potentially affecting the strength of between-domain relations of academic emotions.

Attributional retraining, self-esteem, and the job interview : Benefits and risks for college student employment

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of an attributional retraining program for helping upper-level undergraduates perform better in employment interviews as moderated by self-esteem levels. The sample consisted of 50 co-operative education students preparing for actual job interviews who were randomly assigned to an attributional retraining condition (controllable attribution focus) or control condition (communication skills focus). Dependent measures included interview-related attributions and actual interview performance. Results showed self-esteem to predict more adaptive attributions and better interview performance in the control group. Findings also demonstrated significant attributional retraining benefits for students with lower self-esteem on attributions and interview success. The authors found unanticipated negative treatment effects for students with higher self-esteem who reported more external attributions and performed substantially worse in employment interviews upon receiving attributional retraining. The authors discuss the implications concerning the risks of high self-esteem and possible improvements to attributional retraining techniques in employment settings.

Smiling on the Inside The Social Benefits of Suppressing Positive Emotions in Outperformance Situations

Although expressing positive emotions is typically socially rewarded, in the present work, we predicted that people suppress positive emotions and thereby experience social benefits when outperformed others are present. We tested our predictions in three experimental studies with high school students. In Studies 1 and 2, we manipulated the type of social situation (outperformance vs. non-outperformance) and assessed suppression of positive emotions. In both studies, individuals reported suppressing positive emotions more in outperformance situations than in non-outperformance situations. In Study 3, we manipulated the social situation (outperformance vs. non-outperformance) as well as the videotaped person’s expression of positive emotions (suppression vs. expression). The findings showed that when outperforming others, individuals were indeed evaluated more positively when they suppressed rather than expressed their positive emotions, and demonstrate the importance of the specific social situation with respect to the effects of suppression.

An Integrated Emotion-Aware Framework for Intelligent Tutoring Systems

This conceptual paper integrates empirical studies and existing conceptual work describing emotion regulation strategies deployed in intelligent tutoring systems and advances an integrated framework for the development and evaluation of emotion-aware systems.

Metacognitive Strategies and Test Performance: An Experience Sampling Analysis of Students' Learning Behavior

The aim of the present study was to explore students’ learning-related cognitions prior to an in-class achievement test, with a focus on metacognitive strategy use. A sample of 70 students in grade 11 (58.6% female, years) completed a series of structured, state-based measures over a two-week period via the experience sampling method until the day before a class test. Results illustrated students’ self-regulatory ability to preserve their motivational and cognitive resources, with test-related cognitions evidenced significantly more often in learning-related as opposed leisure settings. Metacognitive strategy use was also found to significantly increase as the test date approached underscoring the goal-oriented nature of situated learning behaviors. Higher intercepts and increases in frequency of test-related cognitions over time positively corresponded to test performance. Of the three metacognitive strategies assessed, monitoring was found to positively correspond with test performance. Implications for future practice as well as implications for future research employing the experience sampling method are discussed.

Is the grass always greener on the other side? Social comparisons of subjective well-being

This study investigates subjective well-being (SWB) among residents of Munich (n = 380) and Venice (n = 545) with respect to their individual SWB and their judgments of SWB for residents of their own city and those living in the other city. Our results indicate that egocentrism rather than striving for self-enhancement guided peoples judgments of SWB. For people with low individual SWB, a below-average effect was found, whereas for people with high individual SWB, a better-than-average effect emerged. Also in line with the egocentrism approach, judgments of individual SWB were positively related to the judgments of SWB for residents of their own city, but unrelated to SWB of those living in the other city. Implications for future research are discussed.