Treating Public Speaking Anxiety: A Comparison of Exposure and Video Self-Modeling

This study examined the relative effectiveness of VSM and exposure in treating public speaking anxiety in reducing anxiety with a college student. The study employed a single-subject A-B design with parametric variations. Two phases were utilized in this study: baseline (exposure therapy) and treatment (video self-modeling) with a one-month follow-up. Generalization probes were also employed to assess whether or not decreases in PSA would generalize to other settings. Results indicate a significant decrease in public speaking anxiety from both pre- to post-treatment as well as from baseline to exposure. However, these results may be specific to public speaking anxiety, as other forms of anxiety did not result in such decreases. Results from a post-treatment survey indicated that the participant felt that the treatment was beneficial in reducing public speaking anxiety

Treating Public Speaking Anxiety: A Comparison of Exposure and Video Self-Modeling

The purpose of this study was to examine the relative effectiveness of video self-modeling (VSM) and exposure therapy in treating public speaking anxiety (PSA) in a college student. The study employed a single-subject A-B design with parametric variations. Two phases were utilized in this study: baseline (exposure therapy) and intervention (video self-modeling) with a one-month follow-up. Generalization probes were also employed to assess whether or not decreases in PSA would generalize to other settings. Results of this study indicate a significant decrease in self-report public speaking anxiety from both pre- to post-treatment as well as from baseline to exposure sessions. However, these results may be specific to public speaking anxiety, as other forms of anxiety (i.e., social anxiety) did not result in similar decreases. Results from a post-treatment survey indicated that the participant felt that the treatment was beneficial in reducing public speaking anxiety and increasing confidence, providing additional support for the treatment package

COGNITIVE CONTROL AND REPETITIVE NEGATIVE THINKING HAVE AN INDIRECT EFFECT ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SLEEP AND AFFECT

Sleep problems are common among college students and are associated with numerous negative outcomes including anxiety, depression, executive dysfunction, and poor academic performance. When sleep is limited, individuals may suffer impaired cognitive capacities, such as reduced memory and difficulty focusing attention. Difficulty with these cognitive functions can result in difficulty disengaging from negative thoughts, thereby contributing to negative mood. Poor sleep contributes to negative mood states, but few studies have examined in what way poor sleep may exacerbate negative mood. The purpose of this study was to examine cognitive factors as explanatory variables between sleep and state affect. Participants were undergraduate students from a university in the Midwest. Participants (N = 150, completed baseline questionnaires and wore an actigraphy watch for one night. They returned to the lab the following day to complete additional self-report measures and a computerized cognitive control task. Participants were primarily female (66.67%, n = 100) and white (67.33%, n = 101). To test the hypothesis that the relationship between sleep and affect is explained by cognitive factors, a path analytic model was fit to the data. It was hypothesized that cognitive factors (i.e., Posner task performance, repetitive negative thinking, and self-report attention control) would explain the relationship between sleep (as measured by objective total sleep time and self-report sleepiness) and state affect. The hypothesized model yielded poor global and local fit to the data. While several direct effects emerged in the model, no indirect effects were statistically significant. The model was re-specified, adding paths where large magnitude correlational residual statistics coincided with statistically significant standardized residual statistics. The final model yielded good global and local fit to the data, with primary modifications being added covariances among control variables (e.g., GAD-7 and PHQ-8 scores) with cognitive factors. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the relationship between sleep and next-day affect is complex and cannot be simply explained by cognitive factors. However, the current study found several significant relationships among study variables, suggesting that sleep, cognitive functioning, and emotion are highly related constructs that warrant further study. Future research should examine alternative models incorporating these constructs to find a comprehensive model with utility that can explain the relationships among these constructs

Public Speaking Anxiety Scale: Preliminary Psychometric Data and Scale Validation

Public speaking anxiety (PSA) is one of the most prevalent forms of anxiety and effects approximately one in five people. There are a handful of scales used to measure PSA, but these scales have limited psychometric data, bringing their validity into question. In addition, few of these scales include both positively and negatively worded items, making them susceptible to acquiescence. Many are limited to measuring a single aspect of anxiety (e.g., cognitive) and do not address the three components of anxiety (i.e., cognitive, behavioral, and physiological). Valid, empirically based psychological assessment is a vital predecessor to successful treatment and tracking treatment outcomes. This paper describes preliminary psychometric data of the Public Speaking Anxiety Scale (PSAS), an instrument measuring cognitions, behaviors, and physiological manifestations of speech anxiety. Results of this study suggest that the PSAS is a highly reliable and valid measure to assess public speaking anxiety