THE RELATIONSHIP OF REACTIVE INHIBITION TO TEST PERFORMANCE AND TO ACHIEVEMENT IN READING, SPELLING, AND HANDWRITING WAS STUDIED. IN THIS STUDY, AS IN PREVIOUS WORK DONE BY HALL (1943), REACTIVE INHIBITION IS DEFINED AS THE ACCUMULATION OF A GRADUAL DECREASE IN THE LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE THAT RESULTS FROM THE PERFORMANCE ITSELF. WHEN GIVEN A LOW LEVEL OF MOTIVATION, POOR ACHIEVERS APPEARED TO ACCUMULATE REACTIVE INHIBITION MORE RAPIDLY THAN GOOD ACHIEVERS. BOTH THE PERFORMANCE AND THE REACTIVE INHIBITION OF GOOD ACHIEVERS APPEAR TO INCREASE WHEN MOTIVATION IS INCREASED, BUT NO SUCH EFFECT WAS DEMONSTRATED WITH POOR ACHIEVERS. FURTHER STUDY IS SUGGESTED ON THE PRODUCTION OF REACTIVE INHIBITION CAUSED BY (1) SIMPLE AND COMPLEX TASKS AND (2) THE INTERACTION OF ANXIETY AND MOTIVATIONAL LEVELS. (AL)