According to Bandura’s social cognitive theory (1986), and more specifically self-efficacy theory (1977, 1982), physiological states are not themselves indicative of a specific emotion. The transformation from autonomic arousal to discrete emotion is a result of humans’ cognitive interpretation of the arousal as being either pleasant or aversive (Bandura, 1993, 1989). According the construal bias, autonomic arousal affects emotions indirectly through perceived self-efficacy, or “beliefs in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments” (Bandura, 1997, p. 3). To this date, only one study has tested this phenomenon in the education domain (Ciani, Summers, Easter, & Posada, 2009). The authors found supported the notion of the construal bias in that undergraduate students’ preexisting efficacy beliefs about statistics significantly affected how autonomic arousal during exams was construed into emotion toward the final. Moreover, the influence of self-efficacy was more pronounced as the intensity of arousal increased. Students with low somatic activation during exams shared relatively the same level of positive emotion toward the upcoming final exam, regardless of self-efficacy. However, as autonomic activation increased, so did the moderating effect of self-efficacy. Students reporting moderate to high physiological arousal (i.e., rapid heart beat, uneasy feeling) during exams experienced the arousal in different ways based on their sense of efficacy for statistics. Specifically, as arousal increased, students with high self-efficacy experienced more positive emotion when they thought about the upcoming final exam. The opposite effect was found for students with a low sense of efficacy: for these students, the increased arousal corresponded with a decline of positive emotion. The aim of the current study is to expand on this research by testing the construal bias hypothesis in a sample of Turkish college students. The proposed study will test the following hypotheses: 1. Preexisting efficacy beliefs bias the appraisal of somatic states, resulting in a valence of emotion toward exams. 2. These emotional states can have positive or negative effects on student learning, achievement, and motivation.

The study is currently being conducted in numerous college classes at Marmara University in Tukey, in which regular exams are given. Students are being administered a one-time survey including a series of validated scales that ask about: pre-exam physiological symptoms and emotions, mid-exam test-related thoughts, and sense of self-efficacy. The survey is administered after at least one exam has already been given so that students can accurately rate their test-related anxiety and beliefs. Additionally, we are asking for permission to access course grades, and will be asking for student names on the surveys.

We expect to find support for both positive and negative construal biases. Specifically, as physiological test anxiety increases, students will with a strong sense of efficacy will experience more positive emotions, whereas those with a low sense of efficacy will report more negative emotions. We also expect that higher rating of positive emotions will be predictive of higher performance on examinations.