COMPETING FOR RESOURCES: WORKING MEMORY AND PERFORMANCE ANXIETY IN U.S. PIANO STUDENTS

Abstract

This study examined whether self-reported general working memory difficulties are associatedwith music performance anxiety (MPA) in university piano students, after controlling for general psychopathology. Working memory is central to musical performance, and Attentional Control Theory (Eysenck et al., 2007) predicts that anxiety disrupts working memory by consuming executive attentional resources, yet no prior study has directly tested this relationship in musicians. One hundred piano students enrolled at U.S. colleges, universities, and conservatories completed an online survey including the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI; Kenny, 2011), the Working Memory Questionnaire (WMQ; Vallat-Azouvi et al., 2012), and four measures of general psychopathology: depression (PHQ-2; Kroenke et al., 2003), state anxiety (PROMIS Anxiety 4a; Pilkonis et al., 2011), social anxiety (Mini-SPIN; Connor et al., 2001), and anxiety sensitivity (SASI-6; Luo et al., 2024). The primary analysis was a hierarchical multiple regression entering working memory first, followed by the four psychopathology measures as sequential controls. Working memory difficulties were significantly associated with MPA at the bivariate level (r = .462, p < .001), accounting for approximately 21% of K-MPAI variance. In the hierarchical regression, working memory remained a significant predictor after controlling for depression, state anxiety, and social anxiety (β = .176, p = .029), with the four-predictor model explaining 51.8% of K-MPAI variance. State anxiety partially mediated the working memory–MPA relationship, accounting for approximately 56% of the total effect. Female participants (d = 0.42) and LGBQ+ participants (d = 0.69) reported significantly higher MPA. Financial hardship was positively associated with MPA. Neither practice hours nor performance frequency was related to MPA, though subjective preparation was negatively associated with it. These findings provide the first empirical evidence linking self-reported general working memory difficulties to MPA using validated instruments and controlling for general psychopathology. The results are consistent with Attentional Control Theory and suggest that cognitive capacity may function as a vulnerability factor for performance anxiety. The practical implication is that performance anxiety in piano students cannot be addressed through musical means alone; effective pedagogy must attend to cognitive load, subjective confidence, and the broader psychological landscape in which performance takes place.