3 groups of 14 college students performed the Digit Symbol Test (DST) and Embedded-figures Test (EFT) under one of 3 conditions: varied noises to be ignored, varied noises requiring attention for a spoken command, and no noise. It was hypothesized that performance on DST, but not EFT, would be enhanced in the condition of noises to be ignored. The results supported the hypothesis. A case is made for explaining the findings in terms of an interaction between inhibitory processes.
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