Abstract
The present study investigated whether a speaker's interpretation bias predicts effects of video feedback on that person's social anxiety. Undergraduate student participants (N=27) in the experiment made 2 speeches, receiving video feedback for the first speech. Subjective anxiety (visual analog scale), speech perception (Speech Perception Questionnaire; evaluation by oneself and others), and heart rate were measured. Interpretation bias was indicated by the standardized residual of scores by oneself and others. The results indicated that the quality of the speeches did not differ in relation to the degree of interpretation bias. On the other hand, the effects of the video feedback on subjective anxiety before and during the speeches differed in relation to the amount of interpretation bias. Participants' heart rate before the speeches was significantly lower before the second speech, regardless of the degree of interpretation bias. These results suggest that video feedback is more effective for those with high interpretation bias in self-evaluation of performance and subjective anxiety. Interpretation bias might be a factor determining effects of video feedback in alleviating social anxiety.
