Untangling the influence of anxiety and motivation on cognitive performance of international university students

We used a cross-sectional design to examine the link between anxiety (trait and state), motivation (internal and external) and real-world cognitive performance in a sample of 144 international students aged 18-48 years. Predictions were premised on attentional control theory. Separate moderated multiple regression analyses revealed: at higher internal motivation, higher trait anxiety predicted poorer cognitive performance, whereas at lower internal motivation, higher state anxiety predicted poorer cognitive performance. At lower external motivation, higher trait anxiety predicted poorer cognitive performance at lower state anxiety, and at higher external motivation, higher trait anxiety predicted poorer cognitive performance at higher state anxiety. Findings underscore the role of motivation in the relationship between anxiety and cognitive performance in international students. Future research is discussed.