Mediators of social anxiety [Elektronische Ressource] : external social threat-cues vs. self-related negative cognitions / vorgelegt von Stefan M. Schulz

Stefan Manuel Schulz

Sujets

• Psychologie

Informations

• Publié par: julius-maximilians-universitat_wurzburg
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 68
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Mediators of Social Anxiety
External Social Threat-Cues vs. Self-Related Negative Cognitions
Inaugural-Dissertation
zur Erlangung der Doktorwürde der
Philosophischen Fakultät II
der
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg

Vorgelegt von
Stefan M. Schulz

Würzburg
2009
2















































Erstgutachter: Professor Dr. Paul Pauli
Zweitgutachter: Professor i.K. Dr. Georg W. Alpers
Tag des Kolloquiums: 18.12.2009
Acknowledgment 3
Acknowledgment
My first and foremost gratitude is directed to Prof. Dr. Paul Pauli, my Doktorvater and
continuous supporter of my striving for academic achievement. I am especially grateful for
providing a scientific environment which is alive with creative spirit, interdisciplinary
inspiration, and a drive to aim for growth into a bright future.
Prof. Dr. Georg W. Alpers, who deserves the merit for initiating me to the magic of
psychophysiology, was an ever enduring guide in the striving for efficiency, precision, and
clarity, a set of most valuable tools for the endeavor of science. I am particularly grateful that
he opened up the opportunity for me to promovere even beyond the Atlantic, and for his
invaluable support along the way!
Across the ocean, it was Prof. Dr. Stefan G. Hofmann, at Boston University who took me
under his wings. It was an impressive and marvelous time, and I am grateful in many ways for
the privilege of being exposed to that invigorating spirit.
Thanks to Prof. Dr. Alexander L. Gerlach are due for befriending me with Matlab.
Prof. Dr. Brett Litz: without your BIOPAC I would have been lost! Thank’s a lot.
Cheers to Bruegger’s and Marta Andreatta: Thank God for coffee!
For friendship and/or valuable support at various stages of this undertaking, I want to thank in
no alphabetical order: Delia Aneacsiu, Gezim Begolli, Daniele Brautlacht-Keiler, Mica
Brosbe, Andrew Camp, Nick Carde, Annette Conzelmann, Antje Gerdes, Eun Mango Han,
Chih-Fang Hsieh, Katja Likowski, Rebecca Loh, Henrik Peperkorn, David Moscovitch,
Wolfgang and Babsi Steinhäuser, Nikola Stenzel, Michael Suvak, Sophie, Tyrone Yang,
Walker, and A. Jaime Williams. You guys know best, why your names are put down here!
I further want to dedicate unbridled gratitude to the spirit, the people, and last but not least the
financial support provided by the Gottlieb Daimler- and Karl Benz-Foundation.
It’s hard to express what wonderful parents and a great sister have done along the way to
make one sustain the trials and tribulations of this world. But let’s put that simple: Mami,
Papi, and Tanja – Danke für alles!
Finally, I want to thank Nina, my Love, which happens to be my wife: For your support, for
your wisdom, and for being, who you are! Let’s keep searching the night for our stars!

“Forty-two!” […] “Is that all you got to show for seven and a half million years’ work?” [...]
”I checked it very thoroughly,” said the computer, “and that quite definitely is the answer.”
– Douglas Adams
“Theories are constructed to explain, predict, and master phenomena. […] The world is an
interpretation (or model) of such scientific theories, only insofar as the sciences are true.”
– Wikipedia
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
"Eureka!" but "That's funny…"
– Isaac Asimov
Table of Contents 4
Table of Contents
Acknowledgment 3
Abstract 10
Zusammenfassung 12
1 General Background 17
1.1 Social Anxiety and Social Anxiety Disorder 17
1.2 Epidemiology of Social Anxiety Disorder 18
1.3 Models of Social Anxiety 20
1.3.1 Cognitive Models 20
1.3.2 Information Processing Models 21
1.3.2.1 Focus: The Multi-Process Account of Startle Modulation during
Affective Perception 24
1.3.3 Integrated Models 30
1.3.4 An Empirically Validated Model 31
1.3.5 Empirical Support for Mediation of Social Anxiety by Self-Related
Negative Cognitions 33
1.3.6 Empirical Support for Preferential Processing of External Social Threat-
Cues in Social Anxiety 38
1.3.7 Focus: Research on Social Anxiety within the Startle Paradigm 44
1.3.8 A Working Model on Mediators of Social Anxiety 52
1.3.9 Aim of the Experiments 55
2 Experiments 57
2.1 Experiment 1 – Startle Reflex Modulation to External Social Threat-
Cues: Moderated by Cognitive Emotion Regulation? 57
2.1.1 Background and Hypotheses 57
2.1.2 Methods 61
Table of Contents 5
2.1.2.1 Design and Participants 61
2.1.2.2 Apparatus 61
2.1.2.3 Trait Measures 62
2.1.2.4 State Measures 62
2.1.2.5 Procedure 63
2.1.2.6 Data Reduction and Analysis 66
2.1.2.7 Statistical Analysis 67
2.1.3 Results 68
2.1.3.1 Participants 68
2.1.3.2 Trait Measures 68
2.1.3.3 State Measures 69
2.1.3.4 Manipulation Checks 70
2.1.3.5 Effects of the Manipulation 71
2.1.3.5.1 Ratings of Stimulus Properties 71
2.1.3.5.2 Ratings of Successful Strategy Implementation 72
2.1.3.5.3 Startle Eye-Blink Amplitude 73
2.1.3.5.4 Startle Eye-Blink Latency 74
2.1.3.5.5 Associations with Trait Social Anxiousness 75
2.1.3.5.6 Exploratory Analyses 75
2.1.4 Discussion 76
2.2 Experiment 2 - Attentional vs. Affective Startle Reflex Modulation to
External Social Threat-Cues in Patients with Social Anxiety Disorder 81
2.2.1 Background and Hypotheses 81
2.2.2 Methods 84
2.2.2.1 Design and Participants 84
Table of Contents 6
2.2.2.2 Apparatus 85
2.2.2.3 Trait Measures 85
2.2.2.4 State Measures 86
2.2.2.5 Procedure 87
2.2.2.6 Data Reduction and Analysis 88
2.2.2.7 Statistical Analysis 89
2.2.3 Results 90
2.2.3.1 Participants 90
2.2.3.2 Trait Measures 91
2.2.3.3 State Measures 92
2.2.3.4 Ratings 93
2.2.3.5 Effects of the Manipulation 95
2.2.3.5.1 Startle Eye-Blink Amplitude 95
2.2.3.5.2 Startle Eye-Blink Latency 95
2.2.3.5.3 Spontaneous EMG of the Corrugator Supercilii 96
2.2.3.5.4 Associations with Trait Social Anxiousness 98
2.2.3.5.5 Exploratory Analyses 99
2.2.3.5.6 Bootstrapping for Startle Modulation 100
2.2.3.5.7 Post-Hoc Power Analysis of Startle Modulation 102
2.2.4 Discussion 102
2.3 Experiment 3 – A Multivariate Approach to Investigate the Roles of
External Social Threat-Cues vs. Self-Related Negative Cognitions as
Mediators of Social Anxiety 109
2.3.1 Background and Hypotheses 109
2.3.2 Methods 115
Table of Contents 7
2.3.2.1 Design and Participants 115
2.3.2.2 Apparatus 115
2.3.2.3 Procedure 117
2.3.2.4 Trait Measures 120
2.3.2.5 State Measures 122
2.3.2.6 Behavioral Assessment of Public Speaking 123
2.3.2.7 Data Reduction and Analysis 123
2.3.2.8 Statistical Analysis 125
2.3.3 Results 127
2.3.3.1 Participants 127
2.3.3.2 Manipulation Checks 129
2.3.3.3 Effects of the Experimental Manipulation 130
2.3.3.3.1 Self-Reported Anxiety 130
2.3.3.3.2 Participant Ratings 132
2.3.3.3.3 Biased Evaluation of Somatic Cues 134
2.3.3.3.4 Behavior Ratings 134
2.3.3.3.5 Autonomic Measures 135
2.3.3.3.6 Stimulus Properties 139
2.3.3.3.7 Startle Eye-Blink Amplitude 140
2.3.3.3.8 Startle Eye-Blink Latency 143
2.3.3.3.9 Associations with Startle Amplitude 145
2.3.3.3.10 Associations with Startle Latency 145
2.3.3.3.11 Mediation Analyses 146
2.3.4 Discussion 149
3 General Discussion 158
Table of Contents 8
3.1 Mediators of Social Anxiety: Integration of Findings and Outlook 158
3.1.1 Self-Related Negative Cognitions: Synopsis 158
3.1.2 External Social Threat-Cues: Synopsis 160
3.2 Revised Working Model on Mediators of Social Anxiety 164
3.3 Limitations of the Approach 167
3.4 Conclusion 168
4 References 170
5 Appendix 207
5.1 Materials: Experiment 1 207
5.1.1 Informed Consent Form (German) 207
5.1.2 Instructions for Strategy “Identify” (German) 208
5.1.3 Instructions for Strategy “React” (German) 208
5.1.4 Scatterplot for Correlation of Startle Latency vs. Trait Social
Anxiousness 208
5.2 Materials: Experiment 2 209
5.2.1 Invitation to Participate (German) 209
5.2.2 Informed Consent Form (German) 210
5.3 Materials: Experiment 3 212
5.3.1 Experiment Sign-up Sheet 1 212
5.3.2 Experiment Sign-up Sheet 2 213
5.3.3 Informed Consent Form 214
5.3.4 Instructions for Inducing Self-Related Negative Cognitions 216
5.3.5 Tape Recorded Instructions for Relaxation - Part 1 217
5.3.6 Tape Recorded Instructions for Relaxation - Part 2 217
5.3.7 Set of Ad Hoc Ratings 218
Table of Contents 9
5.3.8 Ad Hoc Ratings Obtained by the Experimenter 219
5.3.9 Stimuli 220
5.3.9.1 Picture Stimuli 220
5.3.9.2 Word Stimuli 222
5.3.10 Anchored Ratings of Stimulus Properties 223
5.3.10.1 Ratings of Picture Stimuli 223
5.3.10.2 Ratings of Word Stimuli 224
5.3.11 Instructions for Audience Behavior during Public Speaking 226
5.