Table 2.
Effects of the experimental manipulation on anxiety, perceived performance, and observer ratings of the participants’ behaviour
| Means (SD) | High social anxiety |
Low social anxiety |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increase (N=11) | Decrease (N=12) | Control (N=13) | Increase (N=13) | Decrease (N=12) | Control (N =11) | |
| Participants’ ratings | ||||||
| Anxiety (0–8) | 6.0 (1.3) | 3.0 (1.6) | 4.5 (2.1) | 2.7 (.9) | 1.4 (.8) | 1.6 (1.4) |
| Perceived success of conversation (0–8) | 3.0 (2.4) | 5.3 (1.4) | 4.8 (1.6) | 5.1 (1.3) | 6.3 (.6) | 6.1 (1.8) |
| Social performance (BCh)⁎ | 77.1 (15.2) | 48.8 (14.9) | 55.8 (24.9) | 42.4 (17.3) | 26.4 (9.1) | 27.4 (11.4) |
| Perceived bodily sensations during conversation (APQ) | 44.5 (12.1) | 17.4 (8.1) | 31.0 (16.7) | 23.9 (10.6) | 11.6 (7.5) | 15.0 (10.6) |
| Observer ratings of participants’ performance | ||||||
| Independent assessor (BCh)⁎ | 44.5 (14.4) | 35.9 (10.6) | 41.7 (8.6) | 32.3 (9.0) | 24.0 (8.2) | 30.6 (8.1) |
| Confederate (BCh)⁎ | 40.6 (9.2) | 31.5 (13.3) | 40.4 (11.7) | 27.5 (13.0) | 13.5 (6.0) | 30.3 (14.3) |
| Participants’ underestimation of their performance | ||||||
| Compared to independent assessor | 32.6 (15.4) | 13.3 (10.5) | 17.2 (18.5) | 10.2 (20.1) | 4.0 (11.7) | −3.3 (11.5) |
| Compared to confederate | 40.0 (12.1) | 18.5 (15.6) | 21.7 (19.2) | 13.7 (19.7) | 13.0 (8.6) | −2.9 (16.9) |
| Visibility of anxiety | 4.3 (2.1) | 1.5 (2.3) | 2.8 (2.1) | 2.5 (1.6) | .2 (1.3) | .5 (1.0) |
APQ: Autonomic Perceptions Questionnaire; BCh: Behaviours Checklist.
⁎
Low scores indicate favourable ratings.