STANDARD VERSUS INDIVIDUALIZED HIERARCHIES IN DESENSITIZATION TO REDUCE TEST ANXIETY.
FIFTY-FOUR TEST-ANXIOUS COLLEGE FRESHMEN FROM STANFORD UNIVERSITI WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS--(1) A DESENSITIZATION GROUP WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALIZED ANXIETY HIERARCHIES, (2) A DESENSITIZATION GROUP WORKING WITH A SINGLE STANDARD HIERARCHY, AND (3) A NO-TREATMENT CONTROL GROUP. THE CRITERIA CONSISTED OF SELF-RATINGS OF ANXIETY BEFORE AND DURING EXAMINATIONS, SCORES ON A TEST ANXIETY SCALE, AND FINAL EXAMINATION GRADES. THE FINDINGS WERE AS FOLLOWS--(1) STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED DESENSITIZATION RATED THEMSELVES AS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS ANXIOUS ABOUT EXAMINATIONS (BOTH BEFORE AND DURING THEIR FINAL EXAMINATIONS) AS COMPARED WITH A NOTREATMENT CONTROL GROUP, (2) FINAL EXAMINATION GRADES OF THE DESENSITIZATION GROUPS WERE SLIGHTLY, BUT NOT SIGNIFICANTLY, HIGHER THAN THE CONTROL GROUP, AND (3) NO DIFFERENCE IN THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF INDIVIDUALIZED VERSUS STANDARD HIERARCHIES WAS FOUND. CONSIDERING THE RESULTS, LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ARE (1) THE SAMPLE WAS NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF NORMAL COLLEGE POPULATION IN ABILITY, (2) THE TEST ANXIETY CRITERION MEASURES MIGHT HAVE BEEN MORE OBJECTIVE, AND (3) STUDENTS MIGHT HAVE COMPILED THEIR OWN INDIVIDUALIZED ANXIETY HIERARCHY INSTEAD OF ALTERING A