At the intersection of anxiety, gender, and performance

Anxiety may affect performance by influencing either a performer's ability to perform effectively, or an observer's perception of the performer's effi cacy, or by some combination of these effects. Performance evaluations may be additionally related to two expectancies about anxiety: (l)anxiety impai rs performance, (2) women are more anxious than men. This study explored th e effect of anxiety on performance by examining whether: (1) self-perceived anxiety is associated with expert performance evaluations; (2) evaluators' perceptions of performers' anxiety are associated with expert performance evaluations; (3) women and men differ in levels of self-perceived anxiety; (4) evaluators perceive men and women to be differentially anxious. A short -term longitudinal quasi-field study was conducted, examining performances with real-life consequences. Prior to auditioning for an orchestra, musicia ns filled out several questionnaires; the auditions were evaluated by two c onductors. The results suggested that evaluators' perceptions of anxiety we re more strongly associated with performance evaluations than were levels o f self-perceived anxiety. People perceived as highly anxious received poore r evaluations. Additionally, although men's and women's self-rated levels o f anxiety did not differ, evaluators perceived women to be more anxious.