Differential effects of safety behaviour subtypes in social anxiety disorder

Clinical observations indicate that individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) use a variety of safety behaviours; however, virtually no research has examined the functional effect of different safety-seeking strategies. Accordingly, we conducted two studies to address this issue. Study 1 measured global patterns of safety behaviour use in a large analogue sample. Factor analysis revealed two primary safety behaviour categories, avoidance and impression management. Study 2 assessed situational use of safety behaviours during a controlled social interaction in a clinical sample of 93 patients with Generalised SAD. Factor analysis again revealed support for avoidance and impression-management subtypes. Notably, the two types of safety behaviours were associated with different social outcomes. Avoidance safety behaviours were associated with higher state anxiety during the interaction and negative reactions from participants’ interaction partners. Impression-management strategies appeared to impede corrections in negative predictions about subsequent interactions. These findings suggest that it may be beneficial to consider the unique effects of different safety-seeking strategies when assessing and treating SAD.     

Memory training and strategy use in older adults: results from the ACTIVE study

Little is known about the long-term effects of memory training in later life on strategy use. Data from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study (n = 1,401) were used to describe strategy use in a community-dwelling sample of older adults. Strategy clustering scores on verbal list learning tasks of episodic memory were used to test the impact of memory training on strategy use and study longitudinal associations between strategy clustering, memory performance, and everyday functioning. Results suggested that younger, female, white, healthier, and more educated participants show higher strategy clustering scores initially but no characteristics were consistently associated with different trajectories in strategy clustering across all strategy clustering measures together. Memory training had significant immediate effects on all measures of strategy use that were maintained through five years of follow-up. With respect to longitudinal mediation, pre-post training changes in most strategy clustering scores mediate changes in objective memory performance and everyday functioning, implying that strategies can be modified and are closely related to both memory ability and the ability to function independently. This study provides evidence that older adults can be trained to use cognitive strategies, the effects are durable, and strategies are associated with memory and everyday functioning.     

Social presence and service satisfaction: The moderating role of cultural value‐orientation

Two studies examine the role of the cultural value orientation, self‐construal, as a moderator of the relationship between social presence and service satisfaction. Cross‐cultural data are collected in China and the USA to maximize variation on self‐construal. Results suggest that social presence effects vary depending on the consumer's independent self‐construal. Regardless of whether the service encounter is positive or negative, social presence increases the strength of satisfaction or dissatisfaction for low independents but not for high independents. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Self-efficacy and causal attributions for social feedback

The intent of this research was to determine whether an individual's sense of self-efficacy in a social situation influenced his or her causal attributions for outcomes. Male and female subjects were selected on the basis of high- or low-efficacy expectations for a social interaction and were provided with either positive or negative feedback on their social performance. The predicted self-efficacy-outcome interaction emerged, though only on the most salient causal factors. Feedback that was inconsistent with perceptions of efficacy was more likely to be attributed to external factors than was expectancy consistent information. Perceptions of self-efficacy were also associated with anxiety, raising the possibility that the self-efficacy-attribution relation was mediated by arousal. Causal explanations were collected in an open-ended pilot assessment process. The causal factor that emerged in this social task were compared to those identified in earlier studies of social situations.     

Sex Guilt and Receptivity to Condom Advertising

The personal and social costs of unintended pregnancy and HIV infection point to the need for ongoing research designed to enhance the effectiveness of preventive advertising, particularly to those segments at greatest risk. One segment that appears to be at significant risk is comprised of individuals who experience high levels of guilt about sex. This study seeks to determine whether high sex-guilt (SG) individuals are unique in their processing, recall, and evaluative responses to advertising for condoms. Two hundred fifty-two college-aged men and women were randomly assigned to two versions of a condom advertisement that differed in terms of self- referencing vs. other-referencing in the message copy. A 2 × 2 × 3 (Gender × Self- Versus Other-Referencing Message Copy × High, Moderate, and Low Sex Guilt), between subjects ANOVA design was used to test hypothesized relationships. For female, but not male, participants, high SG was inversely related to depth of processing, recall, positive thoughts about the ad, and perceived credibility of the ad. For both genders, high SG was inversely related to perceived ad informativeness, attitude toward the ad, and attitude toward the brand. Message design interacted with SG and gender on an important outcome measure—purchase intention. Study implications are discussed, and avenues for future research are suggested.     

Is avoidant personality disorder more than just social avoidance?

Although social avoidance is a defining feature of avoidant personality disorder (APD), some theorists posit that APD is characterized by a broader pattern of avoidance that extends beyond social situations. This paper describes a series of four studies that examined the different types of nonsocial avoidance hypothesized to characterize APD in three undergraduate student samples and a clinical sample of adults with APD. Overall, the findings revealed low to moderate associations between APD and emotional and novelty avoidance, as well as avoidance of various nonsocial events. The results provide support for contemporary models of APD.     

An analogue study of intrusions

According to cognitive theorists, intrusive trauma memories have their origin in how information during the event is processed. Two studies investigated functional cognitive strategies during medical crises that might protect against intrusions. In Study 1, interviews with health-care professionals were used to identify cognitive strategies judged to be effective in controlling emotions and dealing with medical crises. Study 2 systematically manipulated the use of those strategies in a trauma analogue film paradigm. Experimental participants reported fewer intrusions, and less fear and avoidance of film-related stimuli during the subsequent week than controls. The manipulation did not affect anxiety during the film or memory disorganization. Implications for cognitive theories of intrusion development are discussed.     

Cultural differences in perceived social norms and social anxiety

Cultural considerations in social anxiety are a rarely investigated topic although it seems likely that differences between countries in social norms may relate to the extent of social anxiety. The present study investigated individuals' personal and perceived cultural norms and their relation to social anxiety and fear of blushing. A total of 909 participants from eight countries completed vignettes describing social situations and evaluated the social acceptability of the behavior of the main actor both from their own, personal perspective as well as from a cultural viewpoint. Personal and cultural norms showed somewhat different patterns in comparison between types of countries (individualistic/collectivistic). According to reported cultural norms, collectivistic countries were more accepting toward socially reticent and withdrawn behaviors than was the case in individualistic countries. In contrast, there was no difference between individualistic and collectivistic countries on individuals' personal perspectives regarding socially withdrawn behavior. Collectivistic countries also reported greater levels of social anxiety and more fear of blushing than individualistic countries. Significant positive relations occurred between the extent to which attention-avoiding behaviors are accepted in a culture and the level of social anxiety or fear of blushing symptoms. These results provide initial evidence that social anxiety may be related to different cultural norms across countries.