Cognitive anxiety: a method of content analysis for verbal samples.

The work of such psychologists as Kelly, McReynolds, Epstein, and Lazarus suggested the need for a measure of cognitive anxiety and provided a definition of that construct. A method of content analysis of verbal samples was devised and found to have adequate interjudge reliability. Normative data for five groups of subjects were provided. The validity of the measure as representative of a reaction to being unable to anticipate and integrate experience meaningfully was demonstrated in (a) the higher scores of groups of subjects who were currently coping with new experiences than those who were not, (b) the significant correlation of its scores with a state rather than trait anxiety measures, (c) the variability of its scores over time as observed in a generalizeability study, and (d) the higher scores of subjects when they were dealing with experiences for which meaningful anticipation was relatively difficult.