Focusing on the relationships between performance, skills, and attitudes, a study conducted at the University of Arizona measured the effects of reading and writing apprehension on basic writers. Results from three survey measures and expository paragraphs and essays written by 59 college freshmen enrolled in a basic writing course provided the data. The instruments used were these: (1) the Reading Apprehension Measure (based on Daly and Miller); (2) Vocabulary and Comprehension on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Form D; and (3) the Miller-Daly Writing Apprehension Test. Results suggested that the course, designed to equip students with strategies for composing, helped students to gain the confidence necessary to increase writing skill. Results also indicated that students' writing skills were enhanced when they understood the connection between reading and writing, and that simply requiring students to read carefully and critically could be a detriment to student confidence. The significant positive relationship between grades and reading performance measures suggested that a student's role as reader and writer cannot be separated easily. In addition, the positive correlation found between course grade and the placement essay score suggested that the placement essay probably provided more finely scaled information than expected. Finally, results suggested that the course's critical reading demands may have driven students' perceptions of apprehension to extremes. (Three pages of works cited and a table of data are included.) (JD)