Recall of interrupted and non-interrupted tasks as a function of experimentally induced anxiety and motivational relevance of the task stimuli.

and distortion from the original events It is recognized, of course, that strength of orig~nal learning, frequency of usage, and congruency with recent events constitute major determinants of recall Personality theorists, however, have generally maintained that motivational factors may exert additional systematic and selective effects on memory processes The fact that attitudes (4, 19, 22), and punishment (23) or fallure (11, 16, 20, 24) associated with previously learned verbal material, have been demonstrated to Influence the content and strength of recall tendencies lends substanbal support to this assumption Since its introduction by Zeigarnik (IS), the interrupted task method has been wldely used for the study of these motivational determinants of selective recall phenomena Ss are presented with a set of problem tasks composed of relatively "familiar" stimulus material such as anagrams or picture jig-saw puzzles Each S is permitted to complete some of the tasks while the remaining tasks as interrupted prior to successful solution Following administration of the entire senes of tasks, ind~viduals are asked to name or