Psychological Reports, 1979, 44, 712-714. @ Psychological Reports 1979
TEST ANXIE'IY LEVELS OF SHORT AND LONG SLEEPING COLLEGE STUDENTS ROBERT A. HICKS, ROBERT J. PELLEGRINI, AND JAMES HAWKINS Sun lose State University Summasy.-To clarify the interpretation of a difference in anxiety level that Hidts and Pellegrini (1977) had reported as being incongruent with Hartmann's (1973) description of the personalities of short and long sleepers, groups of 20 short- and long-sleeping college students were tested using a battery of anxiety tests which featured two test anxiety scales. Congruent with Hartmann's hypothesis that short sleepers value work as a defense, our short sleepers showed significantly higher levels of test anxiety on both scales. These data were considered against Hicks and Pellegrini's earlier results with the conclusion that those data actually support Hartmann's conclusions. Based on data derived from psychiatric interviews and clinical observations, Hartmann (1973) has described consistent short sleepers as ambitious, energetic "non-worriers" who work hard and keep busy. These individuals tend to be somewhat conformist in their attitudes and wish to appear as very normal. It was Hartmann's impression that short sleepers use their high activity level as a means of denying or otherwise avoiding problems. In contrast, Hartmann described long sleepers as reflective and critical "worriers" who tend to be non-cooformisc in their attitudes. Recently we (Hicks & Pellegrini, 1977) reported the results of an attempt to provide a partial psychometric validation of Hartmann's clinical impressions of the personality differences between short and long sleepers. Focusing on the "non-worrier"-"worrier" dichotomy mentioned above, we reasoned that short sleepers should score significantly lower in anxiety than long sleepers on a shortened version of the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. W e found just the opposite and interpreted these data as questioning the validity of the clinical observations which were the basis for Hartmann's conclusions. However, we pointed out that while the Taylor scale is generally thought to measure general anxiety, the scores derived from this scale have been interpreted in a varietg of ways (e.g., see Khan, 1970). Thus, we cautioned that the question that had been raised concerning the validity of Hartmann's conclusions was based on a scale which provided equivocal data and required further clarification: An interpretation of the meaning of high scores on the Taylor scale that seems especially relevant to the issue raised here is Saltz's (1970) hypothesis that high scorers on the Taylor scale are individuals ". . . who show disrupted behavior under failureinduced stress . . ." (p. 568). This interpretation becomes important if, rather than focusing on Hartmann's "non-worrierw-"worrier" distinction as we did, attention is paid to the emphasis short sleepers place on work. As was mentioned, Hartmann implied that short sleepers seem to use their high activity levels as a defense against their problems. Thus, one could assume that any event which posed a threat to the stability of their work situation would evoke expressions of anxiety in short sleepers. Thus, given the validity of this argument, short sleepers score higher than long sleepers on scales which measure anxiety about achievement or evaluation in the particular work situation. It seems plausible, when viewed in the context of this discussion, that short sleepers should score higher on the Taylor scale than long sleepers, and, therefore, the data which we felt questioned the validity of Hartmann's conclusions may actually support them. How-
TEST-ANXIETY A N D DURATION OF SLEEP
713
ever, this interpretation is speculative and clearly requires cross-validation before it can be accepted with any degree of confidence. This study was designed as a test of the hypothesis that, as compared with long sleepers, short sleepers express greater levels of anxiety over evaluation of their achievement in relevant work situations. Specifically, we measured the responses of short- and long-sleeping college students to two indices of test anxiery, i.e., measures of evaluation anxiety which were directly related to their achievement in college. W e predicted that short sleepers would score significantly higher on both test-anxiety scales. In addition, as a rough check on the possibility that the anxiety of short sleepers was general as we had suggested in an earlier paper (Hicks & Pellegrini, 1977), we also included in this battery of tests a death anxiety scale. The reasoning here was that, if short sleepers are generally anxious, their chronically higher level of anxiety should be reflected in their responses to any anxiety scale. Since death anxiety seems quite remote from test anxiery, congruent with our hypothesis, we predicted that short and long sleepers would not differ on this measure. T o test this hypothesis, we first asked a large group of college undergraduates, "How long do you sleep each night?" On the basis of their replies, we selected the 20 shortest ( M = 5.8 .4 hr.) and the 20 longest sleepers ( M = 8.5 & .5). In forming these groups we included only those individuals who reported that they had experienced their sleep duration for at least the preceding 6-mo. period and who also claimed satisfaction with their amount of sleep. Each subject responded to battery of tests that was composed of Sarason and Ganzer's (1962) 16-item Test Anxiety Scale, the 10-item debilitating subscale of Alpert and Haber's (1960) Achievement Anxiety Scale, and Templer's (1970) 15-item Death Anxiety Scale. The means, standard devations and ts computed between the means of the short and long sleepers for each anxiety scale are listed in Table 1. An inspecton of Table 1 shows, as predicted, the short sleepers scored significantly higher on both of the test anxiety scales. Further, in view of the non-significant results on the Death Anxiety Scale, it seems that short sleepers are not generally anxious as we had suggested in an earlier paper. Rather, these data support Hartmann's results in suggesting that short sleepers are anxious about situations that involve evaluation of cl>e~tachievement in their work. It should be obvious that the test-anxiety scales used here will not apply to non-student groups of short sleepers; however, the principle that we have noted may prove to apply to any adult group of short sleepers. Finally, in light of these data, it seems clear that our earlier interpretation of the implication of short
+
TABLE 1 MEANS,STANDARD DEVIATIONSAND tS BETWEENSHORTAND LONGSLEEPERS' MEANSFOR THREEANXIETYSCALES Anxiety Scale Test Anxiety Achievement Anxiety Death Anxiety *One-tailed.
Short Sleepers M SD 8.2 5.5 7.2
3.1 2.1 3.1
Long Sleepers M SD 5.4 4.0 6.4
3.9 2.8 2.3
f
2.46 1.84 .99
P*
TEST ANXIE'IY LEVELS OF SHORT AND LONG SLEEPING COLLEGE STUDENTS ROBERT A. HICKS, ROBERT J. PELLEGRINI, AND JAMES HAWKINS Sun lose State University Summasy.-To clarify the interpretation of a difference in anxiety level that Hidts and Pellegrini (1977) had reported as being incongruent with Hartmann's (1973) description of the personalities of short and long sleepers, groups of 20 short- and long-sleeping college students were tested using a battery of anxiety tests which featured two test anxiety scales. Congruent with Hartmann's hypothesis that short sleepers value work as a defense, our short sleepers showed significantly higher levels of test anxiety on both scales. These data were considered against Hicks and Pellegrini's earlier results with the conclusion that those data actually support Hartmann's conclusions. Based on data derived from psychiatric interviews and clinical observations, Hartmann (1973) has described consistent short sleepers as ambitious, energetic "non-worriers" who work hard and keep busy. These individuals tend to be somewhat conformist in their attitudes and wish to appear as very normal. It was Hartmann's impression that short sleepers use their high activity level as a means of denying or otherwise avoiding problems. In contrast, Hartmann described long sleepers as reflective and critical "worriers" who tend to be non-cooformisc in their attitudes. Recently we (Hicks & Pellegrini, 1977) reported the results of an attempt to provide a partial psychometric validation of Hartmann's clinical impressions of the personality differences between short and long sleepers. Focusing on the "non-worrier"-"worrier" dichotomy mentioned above, we reasoned that short sleepers should score significantly lower in anxiety than long sleepers on a shortened version of the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. W e found just the opposite and interpreted these data as questioning the validity of the clinical observations which were the basis for Hartmann's conclusions. However, we pointed out that while the Taylor scale is generally thought to measure general anxiety, the scores derived from this scale have been interpreted in a varietg of ways (e.g., see Khan, 1970). Thus, we cautioned that the question that had been raised concerning the validity of Hartmann's conclusions was based on a scale which provided equivocal data and required further clarification: An interpretation of the meaning of high scores on the Taylor scale that seems especially relevant to the issue raised here is Saltz's (1970) hypothesis that high scorers on the Taylor scale are individuals ". . . who show disrupted behavior under failureinduced stress . . ." (p. 568). This interpretation becomes important if, rather than focusing on Hartmann's "non-worrierw-"worrier" distinction as we did, attention is paid to the emphasis short sleepers place on work. As was mentioned, Hartmann implied that short sleepers seem to use their high activity levels as a defense against their problems. Thus, one could assume that any event which posed a threat to the stability of their work situation would evoke expressions of anxiety in short sleepers. Thus, given the validity of this argument, short sleepers score higher than long sleepers on scales which measure anxiety about achievement or evaluation in the particular work situation. It seems plausible, when viewed in the context of this discussion, that short sleepers should score higher on the Taylor scale than long sleepers, and, therefore, the data which we felt questioned the validity of Hartmann's conclusions may actually support them. How-
TEST-ANXIETY A N D DURATION OF SLEEP
713
ever, this interpretation is speculative and clearly requires cross-validation before it can be accepted with any degree of confidence. This study was designed as a test of the hypothesis that, as compared with long sleepers, short sleepers express greater levels of anxiety over evaluation of their achievement in relevant work situations. Specifically, we measured the responses of short- and long-sleeping college students to two indices of test anxiery, i.e., measures of evaluation anxiety which were directly related to their achievement in college. W e predicted that short sleepers would score significantly higher on both test-anxiety scales. In addition, as a rough check on the possibility that the anxiety of short sleepers was general as we had suggested in an earlier paper (Hicks & Pellegrini, 1977), we also included in this battery of tests a death anxiety scale. The reasoning here was that, if short sleepers are generally anxious, their chronically higher level of anxiety should be reflected in their responses to any anxiety scale. Since death anxiety seems quite remote from test anxiery, congruent with our hypothesis, we predicted that short and long sleepers would not differ on this measure. T o test this hypothesis, we first asked a large group of college undergraduates, "How long do you sleep each night?" On the basis of their replies, we selected the 20 shortest ( M = 5.8 .4 hr.) and the 20 longest sleepers ( M = 8.5 & .5). In forming these groups we included only those individuals who reported that they had experienced their sleep duration for at least the preceding 6-mo. period and who also claimed satisfaction with their amount of sleep. Each subject responded to battery of tests that was composed of Sarason and Ganzer's (1962) 16-item Test Anxiety Scale, the 10-item debilitating subscale of Alpert and Haber's (1960) Achievement Anxiety Scale, and Templer's (1970) 15-item Death Anxiety Scale. The means, standard devations and ts computed between the means of the short and long sleepers for each anxiety scale are listed in Table 1. An inspecton of Table 1 shows, as predicted, the short sleepers scored significantly higher on both of the test anxiety scales. Further, in view of the non-significant results on the Death Anxiety Scale, it seems that short sleepers are not generally anxious as we had suggested in an earlier paper. Rather, these data support Hartmann's results in suggesting that short sleepers are anxious about situations that involve evaluation of cl>e~tachievement in their work. It should be obvious that the test-anxiety scales used here will not apply to non-student groups of short sleepers; however, the principle that we have noted may prove to apply to any adult group of short sleepers. Finally, in light of these data, it seems clear that our earlier interpretation of the implication of short
+
TABLE 1 MEANS,STANDARD DEVIATIONSAND tS BETWEENSHORTAND LONGSLEEPERS' MEANSFOR THREEANXIETYSCALES Anxiety Scale Test Anxiety Achievement Anxiety Death Anxiety *One-tailed.
Short Sleepers M SD 8.2 5.5 7.2
3.1 2.1 3.1
Long Sleepers M SD 5.4 4.0 6.4
3.9 2.8 2.3
f
2.46 1.84 .99
P*
