Does anxiety have a positive or negative effect on performance?

Professor Mark Edwards, Pro Vice-Chancellor International and Head of School for Psychological and Social Sciences, will deliver his inaugural lecture on Thursday 17 May at York St John University. Entitled ‘Relationship between cognition and emotion: Role of anxiety in information processing’, Professor Edwards will look at the range of studies associated with anxiety and performance.

Since the birth of modern psychology as an independent science, researchers have been interested in this complex relationship. Studies have shown both how anxiety can be characterised by poor performance and conversely how it can also be attributed to enhanced cognitive performance. Over the past 20 years Professor Edwards’ work has yielded some of the secrets of this complex relationship.

Professor Edwards joined York St John University in January 2017 as the Foundation Head of School of Psychological & Social Sciences. He completed his undergraduate, honours and PhD degrees at the University of Queensland, Australia. His academic discipline is Psychological Science and is widely published on factors affecting the relationship between anxiety and cognition, and on the neuropsychological correlates of substance use and abuse.

The lecture: ‘Relationship between cognition and emotion: Role of anxiety in information processing’ takes place in Temple Hall on 17 May at 6.00pm. To book your free place, please visit the events page.