Digit symbol performance as a function of increasing levels of anxiety

A curvilinear relationship was predicted between performance on the Digit Symbol subtest from the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale and the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. The Digit Symbol subtest was extended from the 67-item form on the Wechsler to a 175-item one. 119 subjects were placed in five groups, ranging from low to high anxiety. The prediction of the relationship was partially borne out, with the "performance of the middle groups being superior to that of [subjects] in the low anxious group but, despite a trend in the predicted direction, the hypothesis was not confirmed for the middle and high anxious groups." Factors other than anxiety are involved in ability to learn. "Accordingly, correlational techniques would appear necessary in the design of future studies utilizing the Taylor scale."