Stress Appraisals and Performance in an Academic Setting

Stressful appraisals and performance were measured in an achievement-oriented setting. The coping disposition of sensitization, locus of control, and specific attribution for control were expected to influence both the stress appraisal process and the outcome of performance. Assessment of students' subjective stress levels, personality variables, and attributions for control were obtained at the beginning of a difficult class required for a major in psychology. Those students perceiving that the outcome of the course would depend on their ability and effort displayed significantly less subjective stress. Performance measures, as indicated by a grade on a paper with the students' grade point averages partialled out, and specific attributions for grade outcome were assessed two months later when a difficult paper was completed. Performance was significantly correlated with the coping disposition of sensitization. Those students who normally cope with stress by seeking information from the environment, worrying, or other vigilant techniques, performed better in this stressful situation. Interactions were noted between students who attributed outcome in this class to the difficulty of the task (an external attribution) and internal locus of control. Increased attributions had a negative impact on the performance of these students. The performance of sensitizers also suffered when specific attributions for control were perceived as the difficulty of the task. The results of the study indicate that, while a specific orientation for internal control is important for decreased stress appraisal, perception of internal control does not influence performance. The performance of internal locus of control students and sensitizers suffer if they perceive an academic situation as one where task difficulty had a significant influence on outcome. Future research was suggested in the area of actual coping techniques evoked in the situation, and under what conditions sensitizing techniques will be enhanced.