Effects of focus of attention on physiological,behavioural, and reported state anxiety in repressors,low-anxious,high-anxious,and defensive high-anxious individuals |
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Authors: | Nazanin Derakshan Michael W Eysenck |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Experimental Psychology , University of Cambridge , UK;2. Royal Holloway University of London , UK |
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Abstract: | Abstract Discrepancies between physiological activity, behavioural anxiety, and self-reported anxiety were examined when focus of attention was manipulated in a public speech task for four groups of individuals: repressors, low-anxious, high-anxious, and the defensive high-anxious. They were exposed to self-focus (when their behaviour was socially evaluated) and other-focus (when their behaviour was not socially evaluated) conditions. Repressors had consistently the lowest level of self-reported anxiety, but had consistently greater physiological activity in all conditions and greater behavioural anxiety in the self-focus condition. The high-anxious showed the opposite pattern, i.e. their self-reported anxiety was greater than their physiological and behavioural anxiety, and this finding was significant in the self-focus condition. No significant pattern of discrepancy was found for the low-anxious or defensive high-anxious groups. The findings are discussed and interpreted within the framework of recent cognitive models of anxiety. |
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Keywords: | Natural disaster Psychological adjustment Post-traumatic stress disorder Social support |
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