Availability of help as a social support

Includes bibliographical references (pages 21-25)Social supports have been found to be mitigating factors against the deleterious effects caused by anxiety due to a stressful situation. This study is to determine whether awareness of the availability of help in such a situation is such a social support. The two manipulated independent variables were availability of help (help available, not available), and the anxiety provoking characteristics of the situation (high or low). A non-manipulated independent variable was the trait test anxiety of the participants in the study (high, medium, or low) as determined by the Mandler-Sarason Test Anxiety Scale. The dependent variable was the achieved score on a matrix puzzle task. It was predicted that participants with high trait test anxiety would perform better in high anxiety provoking situations when help was available. No significant effects were predicted for the moderate or low test anxious participants. No significant results were found for any variables or interactions