In two experiments, each using 40 college student Ss, level of manifest anxiety and the presence or absence of verbal approval by E for a correct anticipation were varied. Verbal approval led to a decrement in performance for high-anxiety Ss and superior learning for low-anxiety Ss, whereas without verbal approval either high-anxiety Ss were superior or there was no difference. The motivational effects of verbal approval are viewed as being similar to those of ego-orienting or stress-producing instructions.
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