Abstract
The present study examined the effects of self-presentational efficacy as a situational determinant in social anxiety level on cardiovascular activity and psychological responses. Twenty undergraduate students asked to perform two public speaking tasks in front of two evaluators. Participants received a false feedback (high or low score) about their speaking abilities after they made a first speaking task. Blood pressure, interbeat interval, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance were assessed during a rest and each condition. Participants' subjective affects were measured by means of AACL and PANAS. STAI-S was used to measure their state anxiety. Those psychological measures were obtained after a rest and between conditions. The results indicated that systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure in a low-score feedback group were increased during subsequent speaking task following the feedback more than a high-score feedback group. Cardiac output and negative affect responses were increased in a low-score feedback group more dominantly than a high-score feedback group. From these results, it is suggested that the declined self-presentational efficacy, which constitutes an important component of social anxiety would elevate cardiovascular activity.
