Conflict performance as a function of instructional set and absolute strength

One-hundred-twenty-eight male and female introductory psychology students performed in a conflict task. It was found that neither prior knowledge of the “correct” response nor number of practice trials prior to the conflict trial (8 versus 24) had differential effects on performance on the conflict trial. However, subjects who were shocked following an incorrect response took longer to make a decision on the conflict trial than subjects who were not shocked, and females took significantly longer than males.