The relationship between computer experience and anxiety in computer versus paper-and-pencil administration of the state portion of the state-trait anxiety inventory

The effect of computer experience on state anxiety was investigated for both computer and paper-and-pencil administrations. It was hypothesized that, when assessed via computer, subjects having low computer experience would show significantly higher state anxiety scores than their computer experienced counterparts. Sixty undergraduate students were administered the State portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory via paper-and-pencil (P-A-P) and computer (CRT) in counterbalanced design, with pretest levels of computer experience and trait anxiety being premeasured. Results indicated that there were no significant differences between the CRT, P-A-P, and trait anxiety groups. These findings reveal no significant difference between level of computer experience (high or low) and state anxiety assessed via computer, !_(1,56) = 1.33, J:\u3e.75. These results do not support the hypothesis that level of computer experience affects state anxiety scores in undergraduate students. Many methodological factors were considered in attempting to understand the data. In addition, the following suggestions to future research were forwarded: (1) limit the level of computer exposure to none for the computer inexperienced group (as opposed to less than once a month used in the current study); and (2) draw subjects from a clinical population (e.g., anxiety patients) in order to measure the relationship between computer experience and state anxiety within a population most closely affected by the measures