Effects of task difficulty on state-trait anxiety in emotionally disturbed children

In order to investigate the effects of a difficult vs. easier task on state-trait anxiety in emotionally disturbed children (N = 30 boys and girls), older (mean age 12.81) and younger (mean age 9.89) groups were exposed to two lists of nonsense syllables, varying on meaningfulness (0% vs. 100%) with measures of A-State and A-Trait anxiety being obtained during a no-stress period and immediately after each list. The results indicated that the younger group did not show any difference in A-State following the two lists, while the older group showed significantly more A-State increase following the difficult list. Results were discussed in terms of previous research, and in terms of possible explanations for the differences between the reactions of the older and younger children.