Abstract
289 sixth-grade students were randomly assigned to be administered either the Standard Progressive Matrices or the STEP Reading Test, Form 3 (STEP III). Students given the Matrices were assigned to one of eight groups defined by the possible combinations of two classroom noise conditions (40 dbA vs 70 dbA), two sex (boys vs girls), and two levels of intelligence (above average vs below average). The same assignment procedure was used for the STEP III. Students given low noise performed better on the Matrices than did students under high noise. For the STEP III scores, there was an interaction between intelligence and level of noise. No evidence for sex differences was found on either test. The results, while not supporting previous findings concerning an interaction between noise and sex, indicate that the effects of intelligence and noise on classroom performance vary as a function of task familiarity.
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