This assignment content provides information about a research practical (RP1) that was conducted as part of a workshop series. The study aimed to test the stress theory by examining the effects of stress appraisals on the performance of a cognitive-based task among undergraduate students. The experiment employed a between-groups quasi-experimental design, with three levels of stressful appraisals: challenge state, threat state, and benign state (experimental control). The main dependent variable was the cognitive task performance measured using a five-minute timed word search puzzle.