Modifying Shyness-Related Social Behavior through Symptom Misattribution.
Abstract
An experimental misattribution paradigm proved to be a powerful intervention treatment for altering social participation among dispositionally shy women. When the arousal symptoms they usually associated with social anxiety were misattributed to a non psychological source, high frequency noise, these extremely shy women behaved as if they were not shy. Their verbal fluency and interactional assertiveness resembled that of not-shy comparison women, while differing significantly from shy cohorts. In addition, their physiological arousal, measured as change in heart rate over the course of the interaction, declined. The general modification of their demeanor was also reflected in a stronger tendency to prefer social affiliation than was shown by those in the shy and not-shy comparison groups. Finally, the majority were misjudged by their male partner as not being shy. Of further interest is the placebo effect discovered among the not-shy women also given this same misattribution manipulation: they became physiologically aroused, interpreted it as negative affect and did not prefer to affiliate with their partner. The conceptual and pragmatic implications of this cognitive intervention strategy are discussed. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA075695
Entities
People
- Philip G. Zimbardo
- Susan E. Brodt
Organizations
- Stanford University