Anxiety and intelligence in paired-associate learning

Investigated the effects of anxiety and intelligence on paired-associate learning in a factorial design with 2 levels of anxiety and 2 levels of intelligence. Ss were 72 undergraduates, 17-26 yr. old. Latency measures were obtained over 15 anticipation trials; separate analyses were made for early and later stages of learning. Results show that (a) early in learning, high anxiety facilitated performance for high-IQ Ss and impaired performance for low-IQ Ss relative to their low-anxiety counterparts; (b) later in learning, high anxiety tended to facilitate performance for both high- and low-IQ Ss; and (c) in both stages of learning, the performance of high-IQ Ss was superior to that of low-IQ Ss. Results are discussed in terms of C. D. Spielberger's extension of Spence-Taylor Drive Theory. (26 ref.)