The effects of anxiety level and shock on a paired-associate verbal task.

Abstract

60 male college students in the upper or lower 20% of a distribution of Manifest Anxiety scale scores learned a list of 15 adjective pairs. 50% of the high anxiety and low anxiety groups learned a 2nd mixed list (changed, unchanged, and neutral pairs) without shock and the other 50% learned the mixed list with shock between trials. Increases in drive whether by shock or anxiety facilitate performance when the dominant habit is correct and when incorrect impair performance. Also concludes that the MAS measures chronic anxiety, i.e., present in experimental situations regardless of shock or no-shock. From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:1CI13L. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)