Abstract
2 groups (N = 144) of female undergraduate Ss from Auburn University were divided into three subgroups with different drive levels according to scores on the Taylor MAS. A group having viewed a stressful film showed a significant depression in Digit Symbol scores when compared with a control group which observed a non-stressful film, regardless of MAS scores. Also, differences in gain scores across pre- and post-test trials were noted, with moderate MAS Ss showing significantly greater improvement regardless of stress condition. Interpretation of impaired Digit Symbol performance on the WAIS and the WISC as a response to situational stress is probably more conservative than predicting motivational levels based on a single 90-sec. trial.
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