ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR REGIONS OF THE BRAIN IN RELATION TO TEST ANXIETY.

Left hemispheric anterior and posterior activities are related to positive affect and inversely right-sided anterior and posterior brain activity is associated with negative affect. In this present study the anterior and posterior regions of the brain were analysed using Electro Encephalogram (EEG) with relaxation therapy intervention. The study was framed as quasi experimental design with pre-test and post-test having sample (N=5) of five high achievers with the mean age of 16.2 ± 1.64 was selected for the study. Initially the pre-test values of brain regions of all the students were recorded and test anxiety scores were also measured using test anxiety inventory by Charles D. Spielberger (1980). Relaxation therapy intervention programme was conducted for all the students for about a month in order to reduce the adverse emotions. At the end of the intervention programme post-test was recorded on brain regions and test anxiety scores. Significant differences were observed in absolute powers of pre and post-test scores of anterior and posterior regions and also in alpha and delta waves. Differences were noticed in pre and post-test asymmetries of anterior and posterior regions. Findings suggested that left sided brain activity is responsible for reduction in test anxiety. Relaxation therapy acts as a useful tool to reduce test anxiety by increasing the positive affect and the changes occurred are not only functional and it can be structural too to produce long term effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]