Anxiety, Processing Efficiency, and Cognitive Performance
Birkbeck, University of London · Royal Holloway University of London
Abstract
There have been many attempts to account theoretically for the effects of anxiety on cognitive performance. This article focuses on two theories based on insights from cognitive psychology. The more recent is the attentional control theory ( Eysenck, Derakshan, Santos, & Calvo, 2007 ), which developed from the earlier processing efficiency theory ( Eysenck & Calvo, 1992 ). Both theories assume there is a fundamental distinction between performance effectiveness (quality of performance) and processing efficiency (the relationship between performance effectiveness and use of processing resources), and that anxiety impairs processing efficiency more than performance effectiveness. Both theories also…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 9.14
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 44
Authors
2Topics & keywords
- Psychology
- Anxiety
- Attentional control
- Cognitive psychology
- Cognition
- Control (management)
- Information processing
- Working memory