TY - JOUR
AU1 - Eysenck, Michael W.
AU2 - Calvo, Manuel G.
AB -  Abstract Anxiety often impairs performance of “difficult” tasks (especially under test conditions), but there are numerous exceptions. Theories of anxiety and performance need to address at least two major issues: (1) the complexity and apparent inconsistency of the findings; and (2) the conceptual definition of task difficulty. Some theorists (e.g. Humphreys & Revelle, 1984; Sarason, 1988) argue that anxiety causes worry, and worry always impairs performance on tasks with high attentional or short-term memory demands. According to the processing efficiency theory, worry has two main effects: (1) a reduction in the storage and processing capacity of the working memory system available for a concurrent task; and (2) an increment in on-task effort and activities designed to improve performance. There is a crucial distinction within the theory between performance effectiveness (= quality of performance) and processing efficiency (= performance effectiveness divided by effort). Anxiety characteristically impairs efficiency more than effectiveness. 
TI - Anxiety and Performance: The Processing Efficiency Theory
JF - Cognition & Emotion
DO - 10.1080/02699939208409696
DA - 1992-11-01
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/taylor-francis/anxiety-and-performance-the-processing-efficiency-theory-J9NNAQJr1a
SP - 409
EP - 434
VL - 6
IS - 6
DP - DeepDyve
ER -