Is this meant to imply that you didn’t previously think this is a real thing or that you hadn’t heard of it until now? It’s apparently a well-studied phenomenon, I think I know people who experience it, and it’s completely consistent with my current model of human psychology.
Nono, I believed it. I just didn’t want people commenting “your students are just complaining to weasel out a better grade from you,” because I had some people telling me that students sometimes try to befriend TA’s and suck up to them. Though I guess it’s not that relevant that these particular students had it. I was just surprised at how bad it was. It’s almost like as soon as the test is over, you can think again? I sorta figured people would seek treatment for something that serious.
I think there’s a double typical mind fallacy here. You were surprised because your mind doesn’t work their way, and it doesn’t occur to them to do anything about it because they just think that’s what tests feel like. Also, an anxiety disorder is tantamount to a mild mental illness, and people still have a lot of hangups about seeking mental health services in general.
Yeah, I think you’re right because when when people say they get nervous before tests, I think, “Oh sure, I get nervous too!” But not to the point where I spend half the time sitting there, unable to write anything down.
I’m a bit concerned that a lot of the treatment options on that page are drugs. Is it really safe to drug people before their brain is supposed to do mathy things? Is it cheating? Do any of the people you know have any handy CBT-style rituals that help calm them down? I think from now on I’m also going to persuade professors to call exams “quizzes” or something.
I’m a bit concerned that a lot of the treatment options on that page are drugs. Is it really safe to drug people before their brain is supposed to do mathy things?
Probably not more unsafe than drugging them other times. As for performance… most anxiolytic substances impair mental function somewhat. It’s what they are notorious for (ie. Valium and ethanol). Still, the effects aren’t strong enough that crippling anxiety wouldn’t be worse. On the other hand a few things like phenibut and aniracetam could lead to somewhat increased performance even beside from anxiolytic effects.
Is it cheating?
No. There isn’t (usually) a rule against it so it isn’t cheating. (Sometimes there are laws against prescription substances, but that is different. That makes you a criminal not a cheater!)
I guess I understand using drugs for other mental disorders (the persistent ones that interfere with more areas of life) but it weirds me out that we create this bizarre social construct called “tests” that give people crippling anxiety … and then we solve the problem with drugs. Instead of developing alternative models for testing people. (Although there are probably correlations and people with test anxiety might get it for other things as well?)
Is this meant to imply that you didn’t previously think this is a real thing or that you hadn’t heard of it until now? It’s apparently a well-studied phenomenon, I think I know people who experience it, and it’s completely consistent with my current model of human psychology.
Nono, I believed it. I just didn’t want people commenting “your students are just complaining to weasel out a better grade from you,” because I had some people telling me that students sometimes try to befriend TA’s and suck up to them. Though I guess it’s not that relevant that these particular students had it. I was just surprised at how bad it was. It’s almost like as soon as the test is over, you can think again? I sorta figured people would seek treatment for something that serious.
I think there’s a double typical mind fallacy here. You were surprised because your mind doesn’t work their way, and it doesn’t occur to them to do anything about it because they just think that’s what tests feel like. Also, an anxiety disorder is tantamount to a mild mental illness, and people still have a lot of hangups about seeking mental health services in general.
Yeah, I think you’re right because when when people say they get nervous before tests, I think, “Oh sure, I get nervous too!” But not to the point where I spend half the time sitting there, unable to write anything down.
I’m a bit concerned that a lot of the treatment options on that page are drugs. Is it really safe to drug people before their brain is supposed to do mathy things? Is it cheating? Do any of the people you know have any handy CBT-style rituals that help calm them down? I think from now on I’m also going to persuade professors to call exams “quizzes” or something.
Probably not more unsafe than drugging them other times. As for performance… most anxiolytic substances impair mental function somewhat. It’s what they are notorious for (ie. Valium and ethanol). Still, the effects aren’t strong enough that crippling anxiety wouldn’t be worse. On the other hand a few things like phenibut and aniracetam could lead to somewhat increased performance even beside from anxiolytic effects.
No. There isn’t (usually) a rule against it so it isn’t cheating. (Sometimes there are laws against prescription substances, but that is different. That makes you a criminal not a cheater!)
I guess I understand using drugs for other mental disorders (the persistent ones that interfere with more areas of life) but it weirds me out that we create this bizarre social construct called “tests” that give people crippling anxiety … and then we solve the problem with drugs. Instead of developing alternative models for testing people. (Although there are probably correlations and people with test anxiety might get it for other things as well?)
I got nothin’. Have you tried making an anonymous survey and surveying your Facebook friends? That’s what I would try.