This study concerns the role of an accessory shock stimulus in varying the level of performance of subjects in reporting pairs of tachistoscopic words. On half the trials subjects received either a high or low level of shock together with a pair of words presented for one of two durations. The results indicate that intensity of shock interacted with sex such that for female subjects performance deteriorates with intensity in shock while for male subjects it increases. The role of phasic and tonic arousal is discussed.
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