Transfer Effects in Reactions to “Stress”

Abstract

In a previous investigation we showed that, when human subjects were exposed to the stress of an insoluble problem while under the influence of nitrous oxide, the usual adverse effects of the stress on subsequent learning were abolished. We suggested that these empirical results might be accounted for either in terms of “anxiety-reduction” or in terms of transfer effects.

The results of the present experiment show that differential transfer effects do occur in the insoluble problem situation when the degree of similarity of this task to the subsequent soluble task is varied. They also show that inhalation of nitrous oxide during exposure to the insoluble task abolishes these differential transfer effects, as well as any other effects which may be interfering with subsequent learning. These other effects, if they are present, may include “anxiety” and other “unique properties” referred to by other investigators using the insoluble problem situation in experimental studies of stress.