Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the effects of metacognition(MC) and an acceptance treatment on performance anxiety in a sample of undergraduates and to shed light on the mechanism of change involved. The sample consisted of 75 undergraduates who scored high both in overall metacognition and negative beliefs about the uncontrollability and threat of worry(NBUT) and 75 who scored low in both indicators. Participants in each group were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: acceptance, suppression, or neutral treatment conditions. After undergoing an evaluation threat stress challenge, participants in each condition received the corresponding treatments. Participants then applied the instructions during and after intellectual tasks. Results demonstrated that the high MC group reported higher levels of subjective aspect of performance anxiety and cognitive interference during intellectual tasks than the low MC group. The acceptance and suppression conditions showed a greater decrease in systolic blood pressure than the neutral condition in the high MC group, while the suppression condition did so as compared with the acceptance condition in the low MC group. In the high MC group, the acceptance condition alone showed a decrease in lack of emotional clarity, whereas the suppression condition alone tended to show a slight decrease in lack of emotional clarity in the low MC group. Further, the acceptance condition reported lower levels of lack of emotional awareness than the other conditions both after receiving the treatments and during the intellectual task. With regard to the mechanism of change underlying acceptance treatment, change in lack of emotional awareness tended to fully mediate the superior effect following the acceptance treatment as compared with the neutral treatment, as indicated by systolic blood pressure. In conclusion. these results suggest the following: MC may contribute to changes in performance anxiety; acceptance may be a useful intervention for reducing performance anxiety in non-clinical samples with high MC; and the treatment effect may be mediated through enhancement in emotional awareness.