title: Effects of humor on test anxiety and performance.
abstract: The present study evaluated the moderating effects of humor in test items on the hypothesized relationship between test anxiety and performance. Subjects initially completed anxiety scales, as well as coping-humor and sense-of-humor scales. 34 women and 26 men received achievement tests under one of three test conditions: (1) nonhumorous, (2) low-humor (15% of test items), or (3) moderate-humor (30% of test items). These test versions were administered under both low, i.e., short quiz, and high, i.e., examination, outcome-value conditions. Humor frequency did not improve the test performance of highly test-anxious subjects under either outcome-value condition. Together with other previous disconfirmatory findings, the present results suggest that the hypothesized moderating role of item humor in the anxiety-performance relationship may be overstated. Ancillary analyses suggest that individual differences in the use of humor as a coping strategy significantly predict examination scores.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Algoma University College, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. perlini@tbird.auc.on.ca
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Perlini
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Nenonen
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Lind
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013732:Test Anxiety Scale; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic