Interpretation bias for facial expressions in high and low socially anxious individuals : effects of stimulus duration

Part of : Hellenic journal of psychology ; Vol.8, No.1, 2011, pages 44-65

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Pages:
44-65
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Abstract:
The present article reports two experiments suggesting that the presentation time ofan emotional facial expression can influence interpretations in an analogue sample for socialanxiety. Participants scoring high and low on the Fear of Negative Evaluation questionnaire(high and low social-anxiety group) were instructed to observe photographs of negative,positive and neutral faces presented at two exposure durations: 200 and 500 ms. Overall, it wasfound that high socially anxious individuals rated all emotional faces as appearing morecritical of them, compared with the low social anxiety group. Additionally, both social anxietygroups interpreted the negative faces as less negative at 500 ms than at 200 ms presentationtime. Finally, high levels of trait anxiety and depression were associated with increasednegative ratings of facial expressions. Implications for treatment interventions and limitationsof the results arc discussed.
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Keywords:
facial expressions, interpretation, social anxiety
Notes:
Περιέχει διαγράμματα, πίνακες και βιβλιογραφία