THE EXAMINATION OF COGNITIVE MODELS OF SAD: AN ANALYSIS OF UNIQUE PREDICTORS IN A SOCIAL ANXIETY CHALLENGE

The current study aimed to examine unique predictors of a socially anxious response in a social anxiety challenge, using the cognitive models of social anxiety and previous research as reference. The fundamental question this study hoped to elucidate was what was contributing to changes that occurred in anxiety ratings from baseline to being informed of a speech task. This study examined individuals’ somatic and cognitive responses in social situations, concerns pertaining to both positive and negative evaluation by others, individuals’ perceptions of self as compared to others, self-monitoring, and safety behaviors. The hypothesized models were not supported by the data, as statistically significant findings were not found. While the hypothesized models were not supported by the findings, post-hoc exploratory analyses yielded statistically significant correlations between the various components of the cognitive model (i.e., social comparison was negatively correlated with reported anxiety and fear of positive and negative evaluation; safety behavior was positively correlated with anxious response and fear of negative and positive evaluation). Limitations concerning instrument selection, the experimental manipulation, implications related to recruitment and pre-screening, and considerations for future studies are further addressed in the discussion section.