Аннотация:The experimental study investigated the influence of emotional stress and cognitive load on the different processes that provide for task switching. The subjects (n = 53) carried out tasks either in ordinary conditions, or in conditions of induced anxiety. A matrix whose cells were partly filled with digits was presented to them. The number of stimuli was rising with each series. Depending on the cue, the subjects had to solve either a simple task (to reproduce the spatial configuration of digits), or a difficult one (to reproduce digits themselves). In some trials tasks were repeated, in others they were switched; the reaction time in these trials was compared. The experiment showed that under emotional stress and higher cognitive load, switch costs increased. In addition, emotional stress intensified proactive interference: subjects could hardly overcome the inertia of the previous task. Cognitive load increased the time of active adapting to a new task.