Abstract
AbstractThis study investigated whether positive feedback from same-age peers can modify self-relevant cognitive processes of high socially anxious youth in a positive direction. Thirty-three high socially anxious and 32 non-socially anxious undergraduate students (17–22 years) gave an impromptu speech and received either positive or neutral feedback post-speech. Anticipatory processing (AP) was rated prior to the speech via self-report. One week later participants returned to the laboratory and completed questionnaires assessing post-event processing (PEP) thoughts related to the impromptu speech and AP about a future speech. For high socially anxious youth receiving positive feedback, AP about their speech performance significantly improved over time. In addition, high socially anxious participants who received positive feedback reported a higher frequency of positive PEP thoughts about their speech in the intervening week. These improvements did not occur in the neutral peer feedback condition. Non-socially anxious participants’ AP improved in both feedback conditions, whereas their frequency of PEP was unaffected by feedback. These findings suggest that, in high socially anxious youth, positive feedback from same-age peers can modify self-relevant cognitive processes in a positive direction. We discuss how methodological improvements could more thoroughly investigate the potential of positive peer feedback for changing cognitions.
Highlights
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a serious, chronic, and debilitating condition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Leigh & Clark, 2018)
The current study reported on a brief experimental intervention that employed positive feedback from peers about a speech task with the aim to directly modify two types of self-relevant cognitive processes typical of youth with high social anxiety: anticipatory processing (AP) and post-event processing (PEP)
We found that positive peer feedback significantly improved AP about a second speech task in high socially anxious youth; neutral peer feedback did not change the level of AP
Summary
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a serious, chronic, and debilitating condition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Leigh & Clark, 2018). Interventions to help reduce social anxiety symptoms in individuals at-risk for developing SAD might benefit from targeting and emphasising cognitions related to the self, positive self-cognitions (Gregory & Peters, 2017; Thurston, Goldin, Heimberg, & Gross, 2017) In this context, the current study investigates whether self-relevant. Miers cognitions in a sample of high socially anxious adolescents and young adults (aged 17–22 years) can be directly targeted and modified in a positive direction through the provision of positive feedback from same-age peers Research in both adult and adolescent populations indicates that individuals with high levels of social anxiety are caught in a cycle of negative self-relevant cognitive processes related to a social event (Leigh & Clark, 2018; Norton & Abbott, 2016). The suggestion is that positive self-views such as (they think I gave a good speech) would motivate a person to seek out new social experiences that are rewarding and generate positive affect
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