Travis has been dreading his required statistics class for two years. Although his previous math course performance has been average, he has told himself that he is not good at math. When he finally takes his first exam in the statistics class, Travis reads the first question and does not know how to answer it. His mouth is dry and he feels tense and jittery. From that point on, he cannot concentrate on any other questions and he runs out of time. As a result, he fails the exam. To deal with the problem that emotion is contributing to his thinking, Travis should:
A) reappraise the situation and reduce his negative emotion by practicing relaxation.
B) respond less quickly to the threatening stimuli.
C) separate the content of the test information from the appeal to emotion.
D) direct his attention to something less threatening, such as thoughts about what he will do after the test.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Travis is experiencing test anxiety, which is causing him to feel overwhelmed and unable to concentrate on the exam. To deal with this, he should try to reduce his negative emotions by practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation. By doing so, he can calm himself down and focus better on the exam. Option B may not be effective as Travis needs to answer all the questions, and delaying his response may prevent him from completing the exam on time. Option C is not helpful either as the content of the test information is directly related to the exam, and ignoring it will not help Travis pass the test. Option D may redirect his attention, but it will not help him address the underlying problem of test anxiety.

Travis Has Been Dreading His Required Statistics Class for Two