Research Library

This research examined the benefits of interpreting physiological arousal as a challenge response on practice and actual GRE scores. Participants participating in a GRE practice session who were assigned to a reappraisal condition were told physiological arousal improves performance, whereas control participants were not given this information. Reappraisal participants exhibited a significant increase in sympathetic nervous system activation and outperformed controls on the GRE math section. Participants later returned to the lab and were provided their score reports from their actual GRE. Again, reappraisal participants scored higher than controls on the GRE-math section.