The facilitating effects of prior inescapable/unavoidable stress on intellectual performance

Abstract

Two experiments were performed to test the effect of prior inescapable/unavoidable shock on subsequent intellectual performance. Both experiments revealed that prior experience with inescapable/unavoidable stress significantly increased posttest intelligence measures as compared to groups who were given either prior trials of avoidable stress or no stress. The learned helplessness hypothesis, in addition to several alternative hypotheses, was considered in an attempt to interpret the results theoretically. © 1972, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.