Meta-Analysis: The Relationship Between Working Memory, Processing Speed, and Test Anxiety in Children Beyond General Intelligence

Test anxiety is a pervasive issue among children, significantly impacting academic performance and psychological well-being. This meta-analysis investigates the independent contributions of working memory (WM) deficits and processing speed (PS) impairments to test anxiety in children, controlling for general intelligence. We systematically synthesized empirical studies published between ۲۰۲۰ and ۲۰۲۵, identifying studies that reported correlations between WM/PS and test anxiety in child populations. Our analysis included ۸ studies for WM and test anxiety, and ۶ studies for PS and test anxiety. Using a fixed-effects model, we found a moderate negative pooled correlation between working memory and test anxiety (r = -۰.۳۰, ۹۵% CI: [-۰.۳۴۶, -۰.۲۵۳]), and a small-to-moderate negative pooled correlation between processing speed and test anxiety (r = -۰.۲۵, ۹۵% CI: [-۰.۳۰۸, -۰.۱۹۱]). These findings suggest that both working memory and processing speed are distinct cognitive factors independently associated with test anxiety in children, even when accounting for general intellectual ability. The implications for educational interventions and cognitive training programs aimed at mitigating test anxiety are discussed.

کلیدواژه ها:

Working Memory ، Processing Speed ، Test Anxiety ، Children ، General Intelligence ، Meta-Analysis