Table 2.

Summary of the results

Citation	Associations between imagery characteristics and social anxiety (or SAD)	Effect of negative imagery for high social anxiety group (or SAD)
Hignett and Cartwright-Hatton (2008)	Increased observer’s perspective associated with higher social anxiety (+) (d = 0.37 to 0.61, depending on the anxiety measured used)
Moriya (2018)	Preference for visual mental imagery and object mental imagery associated with increased social anxiety (+) Preference for spatial mental imagery associated with decreased social anxiety ( +) Vividness of images not associated with social anxiety (−)
Ranta et al. (2014)	Increased frequency of negative observer’s perspective images for high socially anxious group (high vs. low socially anxious) (+) Increased frequency of negative observer’s perspective images for Social Anxiety Disorder/Sub-clinical Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD vs. no diagnosis) (+)
Schreiber et al. (2012)	Increased frequency of negative images for high socially anxious group (high vs. low socially anxious) (+)
Schreiber and Steil (2013)	Increased frequency of negative images for SAD group (SAD vs. control) (+) Increased vividness of negative images for SAD group (SAD vs. control) (+) Increased frequency of observer’s perspective images SAD group (SAD vs. control) (+) (d = 0.65)	Increased frequency of negative thoughts for SAD group (SAD vs. control) (+) (d = 0.23 to 1.68) Increased frequency of negative emotional reactions for SAD group (SAD vs. control) (+) (d = 0.17 to 1.44) Increased anxiety for SAD group (SAD vs. control) (+) (d = 1.44)
Stopa and Jenkins (2007)	Increased vividness of negative images for high socially anxious participants in negative imagery condition (negative vs. positive imagery) (−) (d = 0.15 to 0.37)	Increased anxiety for high socially anxious participants in negative imagery condition (negative vs. positive imagery) (+) (d = 0.1 to 0.91) Poorer self-rated performance for high socially anxious participants in negative imagery condition (negative vs. positive imagery) (+) (d = 0.86 to 2.12) Poorer observer-rated performance for high socially anxious participants in negative imagery condition (negative vs. positive imagery) (+) (d = 0.27)
Vassilopoulos (2005)	Increased vividness for high socially anxious participants (negative vs. positive imagery) (−) (d = 0.33) Increased frequency of negative images for high socially anxious group (high vs. low socially anxious) (+) (d = 0.88)	Increased anxiety for high socially anxious participants in negative imagery condition (negative vs. positive imagery) (+) (d = 1.36) Increased bodily sensations for high socially anxious participants in negative imagery condition (negative vs. positive imagery) (+) (d = 1.27) Increased frequency of bodily sensations for negative compared to positive imagery for high socially anxious group only (high vs. low socially anxious) (+) Poorer self-rated performance for high socially anxious participants in negative imagery condition (negative vs. positive imagery) (+) (d = 0.69 to 1.39) Poorer self-rated performance when exposed to negative compared to positive images for high socially anxious group only (high vs. low socially anxious) (+) Increased self-rated anxious appearance and belief that they came across less well when exposed to negative compared to positive images when examining groups combined (−) Poorer observer-rated performance for high socially anxious participants in negative imagery condition (negative vs. positive imagery) (−) (d = 0.12–0.32)
Vassilopoulos et al. (2012)		Increased negative interpretations for high socially anxious participants (negative vs. positive imagery) (+) Increased negative interpretations for high socially anxious group in negative imagery condition (high vs. low socially anxious) (+)
Vassilopoulos and Moberly (2013)	Negative self-imagery associated with greater social anxiety (+)

( +) Significant finding, p < 0.05

(−) Non-significant finding, p > 0.05

d = Cohen’s d effect size