ABSTRACT
Why do people get the scores they receive on aptitude and intelligence tests? Why do employees differ in their attainments on the job? It would be convenient if the explanation of performance involved nothing more than the operation of purely intellective ability, and traditional cognitive processes. Unfortunately, there is growing evidence that this type of explanation is often indequate. People also bring to task performance situations distinctive sets of needs, motivations, and dispositions that influence their perceptions of the situations and how they approach them. To the extent that these types of individual differences are related to performance they should be included in research designs and the planning of educational programs. This paper describes a program of research on the relationship of text anxiety to cognitive interference and performance under both neutral and stress-arousing conditions.
