An experimental study of the effect of anxiety on lexical processing of college students: evidence from true-false word judgment and semantic category judgment tasks
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction: This study examined the effect of anxiety on lexical processing among college students with anxiety in China. Methods: We conducted two experiments in a stressful environment to induce anxiety. Experiment 1 investigated the effect of anxiety on lexical processing through a true-false word judgment task, while Experiment 2 further explored this effect using a semantic category judgment task. Results: Both experiments revealed no significant difference in the accuracy of lexical judgments between participants with high and low anxiety. However, there was a notable difference in the reaction times for lexical judgments, with high-anxiety participants exhibiting longer reaction time compared to their low-anxiety counterparts. This indicates a decrease in the efficiency of lexical processing among those with high anxiety. Conclusion: This study confirms that anxiety diminishes lexical processing efficiency without affecting lexical judgment performance. These findings support the processing efficiency theory.
Source: Frontiers in Psychology
Authors: Zhang Huiyong, Pu Xinping
Institutions: Tianjin Normal University, Tiangong University
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W4408417712