Examining self-verification processes in social anxiety

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitchell P. A. Howarth ◽  
Miriam Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Positive Feedback ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
Negative Beliefs ◽  
Positive And Negative Feedback

AbstractSocially anxious individuals hold negative beliefs about their appearance, abilities and personality. These negative self-conceptions increase expectations of negative evaluation from others and, consequently increase anxiety. Self-verification theory states that individuals seek, accept and prefer feedback that is congruent with their self-conceptions. This study explored the assumptions of self-verification theory in social anxiety. This was achieved by examining the type of feedback socially anxious individuals seek and how positive and negative feedback is processed. Results from an undergraduate sample (n = 84) indicate that socially anxious individuals were no more or less likely to seek negative feedback than individuals with low social anxiety. However, participants with greater social anxiety rated positive feedback as less accurate, rated negative feedback as more accurate, and were more comfortable with negative feedback, compared to participants with low social anxiety. Greater social anxiety was also found to predict increased discomfort with positive feedback, and fear of negative evaluation fully mediated this relationship. These findings suggest that self-verification processes operate in social anxiety and highlight the need for researchers to include measures of fears of evaluation when examining self-verification theory in samples of socially anxious individuals.

scholarly journals Are you Watching Me? Interacting Effects of Fear of Negative Evaluation and Social Context on Cognitive Performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin L. Maresh ◽  
Bethany A. Teachman ◽  
James A. Coan
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
Improved Accuracy

Socially anxious individuals exhibit cognitive performance impairments; it is unclear whether this is due to trait differences in abilities or effects of the experimental context. This study sought to determine how social context, individual differences in fear of negative evaluation (FNE), and task difficulty interact to influence working memory performance as indicated by effectiveness (accuracy) and efficiency (reaction times). Participants (N = 61) performed the n-back task at 2-back and 3-back difficulty levels under three conditions: alone (“Anonymous”), in presence of a non-evaluative experimenter (“Presence”), and under explicit performance evaluation by the experimenter (“Threat”). Overall, participants showed improved accuracy during Threat, but only on 2-back trials. FNE was positively associated with longer reaction times during Threat on 3-back trials. FNE did not relate to accuracy, suggesting that threat-related impairments tied to social anxiety may alter efficiency rather than effectiveness. Thus, social anxiety may elicit cognitive performance impairments even in minimally evaluative environments.

THE EFFECTS OF SELF-PREOCCUPATION ON TASK PERFORMANCE AND INTERPERSONAL PERCEPTION

1982 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-95
Author(s):  
David Williams ◽  
Matt E. Jaremko
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Positive Feedback ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Interpersonal Perception ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Positive And Negative Feedback

Two studies are described in which level of self-preoccupation (SP) is shown to be related to how feedback is perceived. Based on past research, it was hypothesized that high SP subjects would perceive negative feedback as more negative and positive feedback as more positive than low SP per sons. In one study subjects were exposed to an impossible discrimination task in which they received bogus feedback. High SP persons negatively distorted all feedback more than medium or low SP persons. The second study involved subjects imagining they had received either positive or negative feedback from a same sex person after they had interacted with the person for one hour. Each subject received both a positive and negative evaluation, balanced for order effects. Results showed that all subjects who received negative feedback first showed higher evaluation to both positive and negative feedback. There was a tendency for high SP persons who received negative feedback first to offer the most positive evaluations when given the positive feedback. Results are discussed in terms of feedback perception and focus of attention.

Symptom Accommodation Related to Social Anxiety Symptoms in Adults: Phenomenology, Correlates, and Impairment

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayana Joogoolsingh ◽  
Monica S. Wu ◽  
Adam B. Lewin ◽  
Eric A. Storch
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Anxiety Sensitivity ◽  
Anxiety Symptom ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
General Anxiety

Background and Objectives: Socially anxious individuals often engage in various safety and avoidant behaviors to temporarily decrease distress. Similarly, friends or family members may engage in accommodating behaviors, commonly manifesting through the facilitation of avoidance, completion of tasks, or schedule modifications. Studies examining symptom accommodation in adult social anxiety are lacking, so this study seeks to better understand symptom accommodation and its consequent impairment in socially anxious adults. Design and Methods: There were 380 undergraduate students who completed a battery of self-report questionnaires through an online system. Constructs assessed include social anxiety, symptom accommodation, and impairment as well as related variables such as general anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, alcohol use, and anxiety sensitivity. Results: Symptom accommodation was positively correlated with social anxiety symptoms, functional impairment, general anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, fear of negative evaluation, and alcohol use. Individuals with considerable social anxiety reported significantly higher levels of symptom accommodation than individuals who reported lower levels of social anxiety. Anxiety sensitivity predicted symptom accommodation beyond the contribution of social anxiety. Symptom accommodation mediated the relationship between social anxiety and impairment. Conclusions: These data help elucidate the presentation and impact of symptom accommodation related to social anxiety. Implications for assessment, treatment, and future directions are presented.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) in Social Anxiety Disorder: Application of a Longitudinal Method for Evaluation of Mediation Role of Acceptance, Cognitive Fusion and Values

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmail Soltani ◽  
◽  
Seyed Abdolmajid Bahrainian ◽  
Ali Farhoudian ◽  
Abbas Masjedi Arani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Cognitive Fusion

Objectives: The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of ACT on symptom severity, fear about negative evaluation, quality of life and mediation role of acceptance, cognitive fusion and value among patients with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Methods: Thirty patients diagnosed with SAD were randomized in the intervention (n=15) or waiting list groups (n=15). The Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI), Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE), WHO Quality of Life (WHOQOL), Social Anxiety - Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (SA-AAQ), Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ) and Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) were administered before, immediately after, and at one month follow up. Repeated measurement design was used in the intervention group to investigate the changes of mediation and outcomes variables in the pretest, during, and post- therapy. Twenty-four patients completed the study. One-way analysis of covariance, Multivariate analysis of covariance and repeated measures was used for analysis. Results: Results showed that there were differences between the intervention and waiting list groups on the severity of symptoms (p=0.001), fear of negative evaluation (p=0.002), and quality of life (p=0.03), as well as in terms of specific measures of SA-AAQ(p=0.001), cognitive fusion (p=0.001), and important section of VLQ(p=0.001). Repeated measurement result showed that acceptance and action of social anxiety and cognitive fusion had a mediating role in the severity of anxiety, fear about negative evaluation, and quality of life. Discussion: Results of the study indicate the effectiveness of ACT for SAD and highlighted mediator contribution acceptance and action and cognitive fusion in severity of social anxiety.

Phase-dependent reversal of reflexes mediated by the thoracocoxal muscle receptor organ in the crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus

1986 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Skorupski ◽  
K. T. Sillar
Keyword(s):  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Positive Feedback ◽  
Motor Output ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Muscle Receptor ◽  
Reflex Pathways ◽  
Receptor Organ ◽  
Positive And Negative Feedback ◽  
Central Excitability

Both negative feedback, resistance reflexes and positive feedback, assistance reflexes are mediated by the thoracocoxal muscle receptor organ (TCMRO) in the crayfish, depending on the central excitability of the preparation. In this paper we present evidence that the velocity-sensitive afferent T fiber of the TCMRO may elicit either resistance or assistance reflexes in different preparations. In preparations displaying assistance reflexes, the S and T fibers of the TCMRO exert reciprocal effects on leg motor neurons (MNs). The S fiber excites promotor MNs (negative feedback) and inhibits remotor MNs, the T fiber excites remotor MNs (positive feedback) and inhibits promotor MNs. During reciprocal motor output of promotor and remotor MNs, reflexes mediated by the TCMRO are modulated in a phase-dependent manner. The TCMRO excites promotor MNs during their active phases (negative feedback) but inhibits them during their reciprocal phases. Remotor MNs are excited by the TCMRO during their active phases (positive feedback). It is proposed that depolarizing central inputs that occur in the S and T fibers at opposite phases of the motor output cycle (21) facilitate the output effects of each afferent in alternation, effectively mediating a phase-dependent shift between the effects of one afferent and the other. The implications of central modulation of reflex pathways and the possible functions of positive and negative feedback reflexes during locomotion are discussed.

scholarly journals Social appearance anxiety, perfectionism, and fear of negative evaluation. Distinct or shared risk factors for social anxiety and eating disorders?

Appetite ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 125-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheri A. Levinson ◽  
Thomas L. Rodebaugh ◽  
Emily K. White ◽  
Andrew R. Menatti ◽  
Justin W. Weeks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Appearance Anxiety ◽  
Social Appearance Anxiety ◽  
Shared Risk
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