B - 82 Examining the Impact of Anxiety and Depression on Verbal Learning when Controlling for Intelligence

Abstract Objective Previous research investigated how anxiety and depression impact verbal learning, noting that individuals with higher levels of these conditions often struggle with immediate recall in verbal tasks. However, some studies propose that this impact diminishes when controlling for intelligence. This study aimed to clarify if significant differences exist in immediate recall during the initial trial of a verbal learning task among varying levels of anxiety and depression while controlling for intelligence. Method Archival data (n = 457) from a college-based testing center were used to construct a database, incorporating Beck’s Anxiety Inventory, Beck’s Depression Inventory, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ), and the California Verbal Learning Test –Third Edition Trial 1 data. Data were analyzed using multiple one-way ANOVAs with depression and anxiety used as fixed factors and FSIQ as the covariate. Results The first ANOVA revealed a significant effect of anxiety severity on trial 1 recall F(3, 452) = 2.79, p = 0.04, η2 = 0.02, with post-hoc analysis revealing participants with mild anxiety (M = 7.10) recalled significantly more words than those with minimal anxiety (M = 3.21). Conversely, the second ANOVA, showed no significant effect of depression level on trial 1 recall F(3, 444) = 0.921, p = 0.43. Conclusion These findings suggest that, when IQ is controlled for, individuals with mild anxiety recall significantly more words than those without anxiety during the first trial of a verbal learning task, suggesting some anxiety may enhance verbal learning. However, no effects of depression on verbal recall are observed.