Effects of Verbal Reinforcements upon WAIS Scores of Examinees High and Low in Anxiety

Abstract

This study examined the effect of contingent verbal reinforcement upon the intelligence test performance of adults high and low in anxiety. 60 white undergraduates were divided into groups of 30 of high anxiety and 30 of low anxiety on the basis of their IPAT Anxiety Scale scores. Each examinee received the Quick Test as a premeasure of intelligence and then the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale under experimental conditions. 15 subjects with low and 15 subjects with high anxiety received verbal reinforcement after each correct response on the WAIS, while another 15 in each group performed under standard testing conditions. Results were not consistent with previous findings in that WAIS Full Scale, Verbal, and Performance IQs were not significantly affected by reinforcement condition or anxiety level.