| Abstract: | Undergraduates who scored high, medium, or low on a scale of trait (predispositional) anxiety (n = 7 males and 7 females in each group) differed reliably in level of state (situational) anxiety when tested before and after 2 standardized interviews. This relationship held for both male and female Ss, although males manifested consistently higher levels of state anxiety than females. Moreover, first an increase and then a general decline in degree of state anxiety were noted over occasions of testing. Despite these temporary fluctuations in situational anxiety, however, the basic form of the state-trait relationship remained largely unchanged. Findings are interpreted as substantive confirmation of state-trait anxiety theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
