Abstract
A principle characteristic of public speaking anxiety relates to intrusive mental images of potential future disasters. Previous research has found that the self-reported emotionality of such “flashforwards” can be reduced by a cognitively demanding, dual-task (e.g., making eye movements) performed whilst holding the mental image in-mind. The outcome measure in these earlier studies was participants’ self-reported emotional intensity of the mental image. The current study (N = 34) explored whether an objective measure of emotionality would yield similar results in students with public speaking anxiety. A script-driven imagery procedure was used to measure psychophysiological responsivity to an audio script depicting a feared (public speaking) scenario before and after an eye movement intervention. Relative to the control condition (imagery only), those who made eye movements whilst holding a mental image of this scenario in-mind demonstrated a significant decrease in heart rate, which acted as a measure of emotionality. These findings add to a previous body of research demonstrating the beneficial qualities of dual-tasks and their potential for treatment of both past and future-oriented anxieties.
Highlights
Many of us know that feeling of standing in front of a crowded room, all eyes on you, waiting expectantly for enlightenment on your chosen subject matter
The present study aimed to develop a more objective measure of emotional intensity, which was achieved by testing whether a dual-task during mental imagery of a feared scenario would result in attenuated physiological responses
The fact that heart rate (HR) response to fear scripts resulted in a significant decrease from pre- to post-test measures proves that the effects of dual-tasks extend beyond the parameters of self-report
Summary
Many of us know that feeling of standing in front of a crowded room, all eyes on you, waiting expectantly for enlightenment on your chosen subject matter. Not many people enjoy public speaking, but for some even the thought of giving a presentation induces intense fear and a wide range of unwanted physiological responses. Public speaking anxiety is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders today, with estimates suggesting that 75% of individuals experience some degree of unease in public speaking [1]. Considering that oral presentations embody such an important and unavoidable element of student and working life, as well as being of significant importance in terms of employability and upward mobility [2], investigating how this fear can be overcome represents a worthwhile pursuit. Public speaking anxiety is a specific type of social and communication-based anxiety which can result in physiological arousal, negative self-focused cognitions, and accompanying behavioral
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