Selective Perception and Interpretation of Interpersonal Cues in Dyadic Interactions

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Summary Twenty high and 20 low socially anxious male college students interacted with a female confederate (C) for six minutes. The C alternated between providing the S with positive and negative social cues. High and low anxious S s did not selectively attend to positive or negative cues. However, high anxious S s felt the C would prefer to interact less with them in the future than did the low anxious S s. The findings suggest that socially anxious S s may perceive social events similarly to low anxious S s, but interpret these same events differently.