SHORT-TERM RETENTION IN RELATION TO AROUSAL

During normal classroom instruction involving presentation of a traffic safety film, the apparent skin conductance of each of 83 high school students was recorded on a separate magnetic tape channel, for subsequent computer analysis. Retention of film information was tested by a written questionnaire immediately after the film. The regression of retention on arousal depended upon the type of analysis and the measure of arousal: inverted-U for interindividual analysis and arousal level, and inverse for intraindividual analysis and arousal increment. These results, significant at the. 01 level, suggest that differences in some previous results may reflect the type of analysis and measure of arousal employed.