Socially anxious individuals embrace negative self-images and distorted cognitive biases during social interactions leading to underestimations in self-ratings of performance when compared to observer ratings of their social interactions. Furthermore, socially anxious individuals overestimate the visibility of their anxiety symptoms. By providing an observer perspective using video feedback (VF), a reduction in negative appraisals of socially induced stress has been reported. This study investigated the effect of video feedback on physiological cues and perceptions of performance on groups high and low in trait social anxiety, using the Social Phobia Scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale and the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale.
Methods:
Participants (N = 22) were postgraduate students engaged in an assessable, on-camera, role-play. Self-report data were collected before the role-play and before and after the VF. Negative perceptual bias was considered by examining score discrepancies between observer and participant ratings.
Results:
The high SA group reported a significant reduction in blushing and an overall reduction in all interoceptive cues from pre- to post-VF. Both participant groups reported a significant improvement in ratings of performance throughout the experiment. Unexpectedly, the high SA group reported significantly greater perceived embarrassment, post-VF, compared to the low SA group.
Conclusion:
Our results demonstrated that video feedback was associated with a reduction in interoceptive cues and improved self-ratings of overall performance. These results support the efficacy of video feedback as a moderator of subjective ratings of performance in social anxiety and the clinical utility of video feedback as an adjunct to interventions targeting social anxiety disorder.