Effects of Social Context on State Anxiety, Submissive Behavior, and Perceived Social Task Performance in Females with Social Anxiety

Self-discrepancy in one’s gender role traits may elicit anxiety and lower self-confidence in various social contexts for women. Females (n = 52) with elevated social anxiety engaged in both an opinion speech and a semi-structured conversation, with either two separate male or two separate female experimental confederates. It was hypothesized that (a) submissive behavior (i.e., elevated vocal pitch) and (b) state anxiety would be greater, and that (c) self-perceived social performance would be poorer, for participants in the following scenarios: delivering an impromptu speech to a male, versus female, evaluator; and engaging in an impromptu conversation with another female, versus a male. Hypotheses were partially supported. Elevated vocal pitch declined more slowly to baseline vocal pitch for participants in the two scenarios hypothesized to elicit the greatest submissive behavior, versus the alternative two scenarios. Participants reported greater state anxiety and poorer self-perceived social performances when the confederate was a male. Lastly, relationships were tested among the main dependent variables (a-c), trait social anxiety symptoms, gender role trait self-discrepancy, gender role attitudes, self-perceived attractiveness, and estimated menstrual phase status.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Grantor dc:publisher

Ohio University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Howell, Ashley N.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Weeks, Justin

• Clinical Psychology
• social anxiety
• social phobia
• females
• self-discrepancy
• speech
• conversation
• gender-roles
• vocal pitch
• state anxiety
• perception of performance
• attractiveness
• menstrual phase status

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1365441706

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:ohiou1365441706