Perceptual rigidity and closure as functions of anxiety.

Abstract

Ss chosen from an introductory class in psychology were given the Grice Revision of the Taylor Scale of Manifest Anxiety. High and low scorers were evenly divided as to sex and assigned to threatening or non-threatening instruction groups. Perceptual tasks were then administered. The results indicated that threat induced anxiety modified perceptual processes significantly in the case of tachistoscopic closure, rigidity, and stability. These three functions involve maintaining constancy of a previously established percept in the face of incompatible cues from the environment. Manifest anxiety was related only to the stability test.