Effects of anxiety and interference on short-term memory.

1 October 1968

journal article
Published by American Psychological Association (APA) in Journal of Experimental Psychology

Vol. 78 (2, Pt.1) , 352-354
https://doi.org/10.1037/h0026307

Abstract

Compared short-term recall for 25 high- (HA) and 25 low-anxious (LA) undergraduates using a "single-item" technique designed to produce interitem competition between 6 consecutive CCCCs and to evoke situational anxiety. Results indicate that in the absence of specific, prior interference (PI) there was no difference as a function of anxiety level. As PI developed, the LA group recalled significantly more items than the HA group. The superiority of the LA group was not related to the absolute amount of PI. Rehearsal activity (i.e., digit recitation) increased and short-term memory decreased as PI developed. It is concluded that individual differences, such as anxiety, influence the course of short-term memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords

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