Personal Report Of Confidence Research Articles

Korean Music Performance Anxiety Scale:Validation and Reliability

The purpose of the present study was to develop a Korean Music Performance Anxiety Scale (K-MPAS) to measure music performance anxiety of college music major students in Korea. Items were developed based on previous scales: the Music Performance Anxiety Inventory for Adolescents (MPAI-A) by Osborne & Kenny (2005) and the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker (PRCS) by Paul (1966). The preliminary K-MPAS comprising 26 items was conducted to 230 college music major students to verify the reliability and validity. As a result of the item analysis, it was determined that two of the 26 items were inappropriate, so the remaining 24 items were finally selected to reconstruct the K-MPAS. The scale was very high in internal consistency, split-half reliability, and test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity was also high.

Developing Speaking Skills Using Virtual Speaking Buddy

This interdisciplinary study integrates ICT in education through the innovation of an interactive audio-based application as a tool to enhance English language speaking skills among less proficient students. Drawing on the sociocultural perspective of learning, the application named ‘V-Buddy’ has been developed and tested with a group of participants which consists of five primary school students and an English language teacher. The teacher was briefed of her role as a facilitator before the students were exposed to V-Buddy for eight weeks. Adopting one group pre-test and post-test experimental design as its methodology, the teacher was asked to evaluate the students' level of confidence to speak prior to and after their engagement with the V-Buddy. The teacher was also interviewed to obtain her feedback on V-Buddy whilst the students were asked to complete the Personal Report of Confidence (PRC). The analysis reveals that all the students developed higher confidence level after their engagement with V-Buddy and the teacher perceived it positively which suggests its potential to be used as a tool in developing speaking skills among less proficient students.

Virtual Reality Exposure Training for Musicians: Its Effect on Performance Anxiety and Quality.

Music performance anxiety affects numerous musicians, with many of them reporting impairment of performance due to this problem. This exploratory study investigated the effects of virtual reality exposure training on students with music performance anxiety. Seventeen music students were randomly assigned to a control group (n=8) or a virtual training group (n=9). Participants were asked to play a musical piece by memory in two separate recitals within a 3-week interval. Anxiety was then measured with the Personal Report of Confidence as a Performer Scale and the S-Anxiety scale from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y). Between pre- and post-tests, the virtual training group took part in virtual reality exposure training consisting of six 1-hour long sessions of virtual exposure. The results indicate a significant decrease in performance anxiety for musicians in the treatment group for those with a high level of state anxiety, for those with a high level of trait anxiety, for women, and for musicians with high immersive tendencies. Finally, between the pre- and post-tests, we observed a significant increase in performance quality for the experimental group, but not for the control group.

Negative mental imagery in public speaking anxiety: Forming cognitive resistance by taxing visuospatial working memory

Background and objectivesThis study sought to reconcile two lines of research. Previous studies have identified a prevalent and causal role of negative imagery in social phobia and public speaking anxiety; others have demonstrated that lateral eye movements during visualisation of imagery reduce its vividness, most likely by loading the visuospatial sketchpad of working memory. It was hypothesised that using eye movements to reduce the intensity of negative imagery associated with public speaking may reduce anxiety resulting from imagining a public speaking scenario compared to an auditory control task. MethodsForty undergraduate students scoring high in anxiety on the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker scale took part. A semi-structured interview established an image that represented the participant's public speaking anxiety, which was then visualised during an eye movement task or a matched auditory task. Reactions to imagining a hypothetical but realistic public speaking scenario were measured. ResultsAs hypothesised, representative imagery was established and reduced in vividness more effectively by the eye movement task than the auditory task. The public speaking scenario was then visualised less vividly and generated less anxiety when imagined after performing the eye movement task than after the auditory task. LimitationsSelf-report measures and a hypothetical scenario rather than actual public speaking were used. Replication is required in larger as well as clinical samples. ConclusionsVisuospatial working memory tasks may preferentially reduce anxiety associated with personal images of feared events, and thus provide cognitive resistance which reduces emotional reactions to imagined, and potentially real-life future stressful experiences.

Assessing public speaking fear with the short form of the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker scale: confirmatory factor analyses among a French-speaking community sample

Background:The main aim of this study was to assess the reliability and structural validity of the French version of the 12-item version of the Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker (PRCS), one of the most promising measurements of public speaking fear.Methods:A total of 611 French-speaking volunteers were administered the French versions of the short PRCS, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale, as well as the Trait version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, which assess the level of anxious and depressive symptoms, respectively.Results:Regarding its structural validity, confirmatory factor analyses indicated a single-factor solution, as implied by the original version. Good scale reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86) was observed. The item discrimination analysis suggested that all the items contribute to the overall scale score reliability. The French version of the short PRCS showed significant correlations with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (r = 0.522), the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (r = 0.414), the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = 0.516), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (r = 0.361).Conclusion:The French version of the short PRCS is a reliable and valid measure for the evaluation of the fear of public speaking among a French-speaking sample. These findings have critical consequences for the measurement of psychological and pharmacological treatment effectiveness in public speaking fear among a French-speaking sample.

Public Speaking Attitudes: Does Curriculum Make a Difference?

In light of infamous levels of fear associated with public speaking, businesses are training staff in communication effectiveness and universities are requiring courses in public speaking. A variety of approaches to individual training are available, but few studies have assessed effectiveness of group instruction, as in academic curricula. The specific purpose of this study was to compare changes in scores on measures of self-perceived confidence, competence, and apprehension associated with public speaking after two types of courses: one focused on knowledge of the vocal mechanism and mastering vocal characteristics (pitch, volume, rate, quality), and one addressing general communication theory and public speaking. Seventy-one undergraduate students enrolled in "Voice and Diction" at George Washington University (GWU) and 68 enrolled in "Fundamental Speech" at Florida State University completed questionnaires before and after the courses. Scores on Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale, Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker, and Personal Report of Communication Apprehension-24, were compared within subjects (ie, prepost course) and between courses. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found on all measures: students reported less apprehension and more confidence and competence after the courses. No differences were found between the two courses when comparing the mean changes from pre- to postscore. Traditional public speaking curriculum of how to design and deliver a speech and curriculum tailored to the voice and speech mechanism succeeded in reducing public speaking apprehension and increasing feelings of confidence and competency for these undergraduate students.

Interpersonal Difficulties in Adolescence

Abstract. The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Questionnaire about Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents (QIDA; Inglés, Méndez, &amp; Hidalgo, 2000 ). In Study 1, the questionnaire was administered to a sample of 4,240 high school pupils. Exploratory factor analysis identified five factors accounting for 42.86% of the variance: Assertiveness, Heterosexual Relationships, Public Speaking, Family Relationships, and Close Friendships. Internal consistency was high (.90). In Study 2, 538 high school pupils answered a set of social anxiety and personality self-report measures. Test-retest reliability, over a 2-week period, was adequate (.78). Correlations between the QIDA and the Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker (r = .43), the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (r = .61), and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (r = -.38, Extraversion; r = .34, Neuroticism) were statistically significant. A significant difference was found between the total QIDA score for adolescents with and without social phobia (d = 1.53) supporting the construct validity of the questionnaire.

Cuestionarios, inventarios y escalas de ansiedad social para adolescentes : una revisión crítica

The aims of this study were two. First, the social anxiety questionnaires, inventories and/or scales developed and validated in the adolescent population (Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, SAS-A, and Questionnaire about Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents, QIDA) and the adolescent adaptation of the instruments firstly developed and validated for Englishspeaking adult population (Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker, PRCS; the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, FNE; the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale, SAD and the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory, SPAI) are described. Second, a psychometric comparative study about these instruments is presented, thus the reliability (internal consistency and temporal stability) and construct validity (factorial structure, relationships with others questionnaires, relationships with others assessment procedures, discrimination between groups and treatment outcome) of these instruments are compared.

Dificultades interpersonales en la adolescencia : ¿Factor de riesgo de fobia social?

The main aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between interpersonal difficulties in adolescence, on the one hand, with social phobia (both generalized and non-generalized), and, on the other hand, with personality variables (intraversion and neuroticism). A sample of 538 schoolchildren between the ages of 12 to 18 were recruited. They then filled in the following set of self-reports: the Questionnaire about Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents, the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory, the Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker (shortened 12- item version), and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Adolescents with generalized social phobia, with fear of public speaking, introverted, and emotionally instable reported more interpersonal difficulties than adolescents without generalized social phobia, without fear of public speaking, extraverted, and emotionally stable (p<0.001). The prevalence of generalized social phobia was 8.18% and was more frequent among females than among males, with a proportion of 2:1, reaching a peak in mid-adolescence (14-15 years old).

The Contributions of Eye Movements to the Efficacy of Brief Exposure Treatment for Reducing Fear of Public Speaking

The present study was designed to isolate the effects of the eye-movement component of the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) procedure in the treatment of fear of public speaking. Seventy-one undergraduate psychology students who responded in a fearful manner on the Fear Survey Schedule II and on a standardized, self-report measure of public speaking anxiety (Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker; PRCS) were randomly assigned to one of four groups in a 2 × 2 factorial design. The two independent variables assessed were treatment condition (imagery plus eye movements vs. imagery alone) and type of imagery (fear-relevant vs. relaxing). Dependent variables assessed were self-reported and physiological anxiety during exposure and behavioral indices of anxiety while giving a speech. Although process measures indicated exposure to fear-relevant imagery increased anxiety during the procedure, no significant differences among groups were found on any of the outcome measures, except that participants who received eye movements were less likely to give a speech posttreatment than participants who did not receive eye movements. Addition of the eye movements to the experimental procedure did not result in enhancement of fear reduction. It was concluded, consistent with the results of past research, that previously reported positive effects of the EMDR procedure may be largely due to exposure to conditioned stimuli.

Cue-Controlled Relaxation and “Aromatherapy” in the Treatment of Speech Anxiety

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the separate and combined effects of cue-controlled relaxation training and “aromatherapy” as treatments for reducing speech anxiety. Thirty-six speech anxious subjects were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: cue-controlled relaxation with a word cue, cue-controlled relaxation with an aroma cue, “aromatherapy” alone, and a wait list (i.e., control) group. Prior to treatment, subjects completed the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker, Fear of Negative Evaluation questionnaire, S-R Inventory of Anxiousness-Speech Form, Cognitive Somatic Anxiety Questionnaire, and Multiple Affect Adjective Check List; subjects also performed a speech which was rated for behavioral signs of anxiety. The assessment protocol was repeated following treatment, and at a two-month follow-up. Thirty-two of 36 subjects (89%) provided complete data at post-treatment, and 23 of 28 treated subjects (82%) provided complete data at follow-up. Results indicated that subjects in both cue-controlled relaxation conditions decreased their speech anxiety more than did the subjects in the aromatherapy or control conditions.

The Effects of Stress Inoculation Training and Skills Training on the Treatment of Speech Anxiety

Stress Inoculation Training (SIT), Skills Training and Combination Training were compared to a control condition in the treatment of public speaking anxiety. Speech anxious university students were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Anxiety was measured by self-reports and a behavioral measure. S's in all conditions ( N = 73) gave a pretreatment and post-treatment speech and at one month follow-up, completed self-report measures. Subjects in all treatments improved between pretreatment and follow-up on the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker. However, only those in the Skills group decreased their anxious behavior between pretreatment and post-treatment. Trial effects were found for the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale and the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. Implications are discussed.

Decreasing speech anxiety of female prisoners.

This study compared self-reported speech anxiety experienced by female prisoners before and after attending a special program within a state vocational facility. With high scores on the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker, 13 women volunteers were treated in a program incorporating various techniques including systematic desensitization, cognitive restructuring, skills training, and shaping. These components were presented in six 2-hr. sessions. Pre- and posttreatment comparisons showed a significant decrease in speech anxiety. Discussion focuses on basic characteristics relevant to this sample (short attention span and low reading levels) and limitations of an institutional nature such as excessive noise, lack of privacy, and restrictions on possession of study materials.

Perceived confidence as a function of self‐image

The hypothesis that a speaker's perceived confidence is a function of his self‐image was studied in this investigation. Seventeen matched pairs of subjects were picked on the basis of a pretest of the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker index. The experimental subjects were given indirect suggestion that their audiences viewed them as confident speakers. Posttest differences between treatments was significant at the 5% level of confidence.