Influence of anxiety on attention, learning, retention and thinking.

IN THE investigation of the influence of emotions on psychologic functions by one of us (O. D.), it became apparent that the technical characteristics of many of the tests used more or less commonly by psychiatrists were not known. Consequently, a preliminary study was made to determine the reliability and other characteristics of several of these tests. These results are reported in the first part of this paper, whereas in the second part the results of the influence of anxiety on some of the tests are given. In the third part, the application of these results to the customary psychiatric examination is reviewed. TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME CLINICALLY USED TESTS In order to be able to investigate the psychopathologic influences of anxiety on intellectual functions, tests were chosen for the study of attention, learning, retention, memory and thinking. Tests were selected which have been used in psychopathologic research work and