The present study investigated the effects of dependency arousal on learning. To justify the assumption of a dependency-related drive that operates to energize, and perhaps direct, human behavior, it was necessary to establish conditions that produce dependency arousal and to demonstrate a systematic relation between arousal and behavior. This was done by defining arousal in terms of Ss predisposition (high-dependent or low-dependent) and the experimental stimulus conditions (nature of S-E interactions). Ss' behavior on specific learning tasks was predicted from Hullian-Spence theory as this theoretical system deals with the effect of drive on performance. Dependency arousal was specifically differentiated from anxiey arousal.
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