scholarly journals A Reduced Self-Positive Belief Underpins Greater Sensitivity to Negative Evaluation in Socially Anxious Individuals

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Alexandra K. Hopkins ◽  
Ray Dolan ◽  
Katherine S. Button ◽  
Michael Moutoussis
Keyword(s):  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
Positive Belief

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.

scholarly journals Social anxiety compared to depression better accounts for enhanced acquisition of self-reported anxiety toward faces paired with negative evaluation in a conditioning task

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 204380871988830
Author(s):  
Klint Fung ◽  
Lynn E. Alden
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Conditioned Stimulus ◽  
Unconditioned Stimulus ◽  
Differential Conditioning ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Diagnostic Validity ◽  
Potential Mechanism ◽  
Subjective Ratings ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
Larger Sample

Previous studies have shown that social anxiety was associated with enhanced acquisition of anxiety as measured by subjective ratings in conditioning tasks using faces as the conditioned stimulus and negative evaluation as the unconditioned stimulus. However, a recent study failed to replicate the effect. The current study re-examined the enhanced acquisition effect with a larger sample, explored whether differences in expectancy of negative evaluation was a potential mechanism, and compared the contribution of social anxiety to that of depression on enhanced acquisition. Two hundred and sixty-three unselected participants took part in a differential conditioning task in which three faces each were paired with hostile, neutral, and friendly reaction during acquisition, and all three were paired with neutral reaction during extinction. Results replicated earlier findings that participant social anxiety was associated with enhanced acquisition of anxiety. Socially anxious participants did not show higher expectancy of hostile reaction during acquisition, which suggested the need to consider alternative mechanisms underlying enhanced acquisition. Depression was also associated with enhanced acquisition; however, that association was accounted for by social anxiety. The effect of social anxiety was significant over and above depression, which supported its diagnostic validity.

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 Reduced positive evidence within activated self-schema may underpin increased sensitivity to negative evaluation in socially anxious individuals

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Kathryn Hopkins ◽  
Raymond J Dolan ◽  
Katherine Susan Button ◽  
Michael Moutoussis
Keyword(s):  
Computational Models ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Social Evaluation ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
The One ◽  
Associative Models

Positive self-beliefs are important for well-being, and are influenced by how others evaluate us during social interactions. Mechanistic accounts of self-beliefs have mostly relied on associative learning models. These account for choice behaviour but not for the explicit beliefs that trouble socially anxious patients. Neither do they speak to self-schemas, which underpin vulnerability according to psychological research. Here, we compared belief-based and associative computational models of social-evaluation, in individuals that varied in fear of negative evaluation (FNE). Using a novel analytic approach, ‘clinically informed model-fitting’, we replicated the finding that high-FNE participants learn faster from negative feedback about themselves. Crucially, this could be explained through reduced activation of positive self-schemas. The overall population could be characterized equally well by belief-based or associative models, but many individuals used either the one or the other perspective. Our findings have therapeutic importance, as belief activation may be used to specifically modulate learning

Safety Behaviors and Stuttering

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1246-1253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Lowe ◽  
Fjola Helgadottir ◽  
Ross Menzies ◽  
Rob Heard ◽  
Sue O'Brian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Safety Behaviors ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Negative Cognitions ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
Therapy Program ◽  
Potential Safety ◽  
Social Encounters ◽  
Adults Who Stutter

Purpose Those who are socially anxious may use safety behaviors during feared social interactions to prevent negative outcomes. Safety behaviors are associated with anxiety maintenance and poorer treatment outcomes because they prevent fear extinction. Social anxiety disorder is often comorbid with stuttering. Speech pathologists reported in a recent publication (Helgadottir, Menzies, Onslow, Packman, & O'Brian, 2014a) that they often recommended procedures for clients that could be safety behaviors. This study investigated the self-reported use of safety behaviors by adults who stutter. Method Participants were 133 adults who stutter enrolled in an online cognitive-behavior therapy program. Participants completed a questionnaire about their use of potential safety behaviors when anxious during social encounters. Correlations were computed between safety behaviors and pretreatment scores on measures of fear of negative evaluation and negative cognitions. Results Of 133 participants, 132 reported that they used safety behaviors. Many of the safety behaviors correlated with higher scores for fear of negative evaluation and negative cognitions. Conclusions Adults who stutter report using safety behaviors, and their use is associated with pretreatment fear of negative evaluation and unhelpful thoughts about stuttering. These results suggest that the negative effects of safety behaviors may extend to those who stutter, and further research is needed.

scholarly journals Reactions to Prospective Positive vs. Negative Evaluation in the Laboratory: A Comparison of High and Low Socially Anxious Participants

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 619-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin C. Barber ◽  
David A. Moscovitch
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Social Partner ◽  
Social Threat ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
Fear Of Positive Evaluation ◽  
Positive Evaluation

We present a study designed to investigate fear of positive vs. negative evaluation within the context of a laboratory-based paradigm designed to evoke social threat. Eighty-nine undergraduates with high (n = 43) or low (n = 46) levels of trait social anxiety took part in a “getting acquainted” task. Participants rated their anxiety about receiving prospective positive vs. negative evaluation in anticipation of receiving public feedback on a filmed introduction of themselves that they had made for an unknown social partner whom they expected they would later meet. Results demonstrated, in contrast to extant theories of fear of positive evaluation in social anxiety, that all participants, including those with high levels of social anxiety, rated the prospect of positive evaluation as anxiety reducing. This finding raises important questions about the construct of fear of positive evaluation and how to measure it “in vivo” in an ecologically valid manner.

scholarly journals Evaluating a Web-Based Social Anxiety Intervention Among Community Users: Analysis of Real-World Data (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh Cameron McCall ◽  
Fjola Dogg Helgadottir ◽  
Ross G Menzies ◽  
Heather D Hadjistavropoulos ◽  
Frances S Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Outcome Data ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
General Community

BACKGROUND Social anxiety is both harmful and prevalent. It also currently remains among the most undertreated major mental disorders, due, in part, to socially anxious individuals’ concerns about the stigma and expense of seeking help. The privacy and affordability of computer-aided psychotherapy interventions may render them particularly helpful in addressing these concerns, and they are also highly scalable, but most tend to be only somewhat effective without therapist support. However, a recent evaluation of a new self-guided, 7-module internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy intervention called Overcome Social Anxiety found that it was highly effective. OBJECTIVE The initial evaluation of Overcome Social Anxiety revealed that it led to significant reductions in symptom severity among university undergraduates. The aim of this study was to extend the results of the initial study and investigate their generalizability by directly evaluating the intervention’s effectiveness among a general community sample. METHODS While signing up for Overcome Social Anxiety, users consented to the usage of their anonymized outcome data for research purposes. Before and after completing the intervention, users completed the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE), which we employed as the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures included the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and 2 bespoke questionnaires measuring socially anxious thoughts (Thoughts Questionnaire) and avoidance behaviors (Avoidance Questionnaire). RESULTS Participants who completed the intervention (102/369, 27.7%) experienced significant reductions in the severity of their symptoms on all measures employed, including FNE (P<.001; Cohen d=1.76), the depression subscale of DASS (P<.001; Cohen d=0.70), the anxiety subscale of DASS (P<.001; Cohen d=0.74), the stress subscale of DASS (P<.001; Cohen d=0.80), the Thoughts Questionnaire (P<.001; Cohen d=1.46), and the Avoidance Questionnaire (P<.001; Cohen d=1.42). CONCLUSIONS Our results provide further evidence that Overcome Social Anxiety reduces the severity of social anxiety symptoms among those who complete it and suggest that its effectiveness extends to the general community. The completion rate is the highest documented for a fully automated intervention for anxiety, depression, or low mood in a real community sample. In addition, our results indicate that Overcome Social Anxiety reduces the severity of symptoms of depression, physiological symptoms of anxiety, and stress in addition to symptoms of social anxiety.

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.

A Novel Application of the Schema Therapy Mode Model for Social Anxiety Disorder: A Naturalistic Case Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 153465012110278
Author(s):  
Erika S. Penney ◽  
Alice R. Norton
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Social Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Schema Therapy ◽  
Social Avoidance ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
Cognitive Behaviour

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a condition defined by an excessive and persistent fear of negative evaluation in social or performance situations. Whilst Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is the gold standard treatment, not all individuals with SAD respond to CBT. The Schema Therapy Mode Model is frequently applied to chronic and hard-to-treat conditions and therefore may be applicable for SAD individuals who are non-responders to CBT. This case study describes how the Mode Model was successfully used to treat a woman in her 20s who presented with excessive fears of negative evaluation and pervasive social avoidance. Experiential techniques, such as chair dialogues and imagery rescripting, resulted in cognitive modification of negative core beliefs, reduced experiential discomfort and increased engagement in social and relational activities. This case offers a preliminary indication that the Schema Therapy Mode Model may be an effective treatment for socially anxious individuals and that further theoretical and empirical study in this area is warranted.

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