Cognitive assessment of social anxiety: Development and validation of a self-statement questionnaire

The recent emphasis on cognitive factors in the treatment of emotional problems has stimulated the development of cognitive assessment techniques. This paper presents the development and initial validation of an instrument to assess self-statements about social interactions. The 30-item questionnaire contains 15 positive (facilitative) and 15 negative (inhibitory) self-statements that were derived from subjects who listed thoughts while imagining difficult social situations. Item selection was accomplished by using judges' ratings of those thoughts. Validity studies with two samples compared scores on the self-statement measure with self-report, judges' and confederates' ratings of skill and anxiety following taped role-play and face-to-face interactions, and with questionnaire measures of social anxiety and skill. The measure appears to be a reliable, valid measure of cognitions associated with social anxiety. Research directions in cognitive assessment are suggested.

[1]  Af Furnham,et al.  Assessment of Social Skills in the elderly. , 1983 .

[2]  S. Bem.  The measurement of psychological androgyny. , 1974, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[3]  S. Hollon,et al.  Cognitive self-statements in depression: Development of an automatic thoughts questionnaire , 1980, Cognitive Therapy and Research.

[4]  J. Curran,et al.  The importance of behavioral and cognitive factors in heterosexual-social anxiety. , 1980, Journal of personality.

[5]  Marti Diane Smye,et al.  A comparison of female and male adolescents' social behaviors and cognitions: A challenge to the assertiveness literature , 1980 .

[6]  M. Mahoney,et al.  Cognition and Behavior Modification , 1974 .

[7]  T. Merluzzi,et al.  Rational Restructuring versus Desensitization with Clients of Diverse Conceptual Levels: A Test of a Client-Treatment Matching Model. , 1980 .

[8]  D. Meichenbaum.  Cognitive-Behavior Modification: An Integrative Approach , 1977 .

[9]  J. Curran,et al.  A test of the relative effectiveness of a systematic desensitization program and an interpersonal skills training program with date anxious subjects , 1975 .

[10]  Irwin G Sarason,et al.  The Test Anxiety Scale: Concept and Research. , 1977 .

[11]  K. O'Banion,et al.  Social anxiety and selective memory for affective information about the self , 1977 .

[12]  E. Lichtenstein,et al.  The behavioral assessment of social competence in males , 1975 .

[13]  H. Arkowitz,et al.  Anxiety and perceived causation in social success and failure experiences: disconfirmation of an attribution hypothesis in two experiments. , 1977, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[14]  A. Marston,et al.  Reduction of social anxiety through modification of self-reinforcement: an instigation therapy technique. , 1968, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[15]  M. Goldfried,et al.  Relative effectiveness of rational restructuring and self-control desensitization in the reduction of interpersonal anxiety , 1979 .

[16]  W. D. Martinson,et al.  Comparison of individual counseling and a social program with nondaters. , 1970 .

[17]  Marian L. MacDonald,et al.  Social Skills Training: Behavior Rehearsal in Groups and Dating Skills. , 1975 .

[18]  J. Gottman,et al.  Response-acquisition and cognitive self-statement modification approaches to dating-skills training. , 1976 .

[19]  J. Curran,et al.  Skills training as an approach to the treatment of heterosexual-social anxiety: a review. , 1977, Psychological bulletin.

[20]  R. Jones.  A factored measure of Ellis' irrational belief system with personality and maladjustment correlates , 1968 .

[21]  J. Curran,et al.  A Comparison Between Behavioral Replication Training and Sensitivity Training Approaches to Heterosexual Dating Anxiety. , 1976 .

[22]  R. Friend,et al.  Measurement of social-evaluative anxiety. , 1969, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[23]  A. Beck.  Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders: A. T. Beck , 1987, British Journal of Psychiatry.

[24]  H. Arkowitz,et al.  Minimal dating and its relationship to other social problems and general adjustment , 1980 .

[25]  Karen S. Calhoun,et al.  Handbook of Behavioral Assessment , 1986 .

[26]  Evaluation of Social Skill Training Programs for College Dating Inhibitions. , 1975 .

[27]  M. Goldfried,et al.  Role of Assessment in Behavior Modification , 1968, Psychological reports.

[28]  M. Goldfried,et al.  Effect of irrational beliefs on emotional arousal. , 1975, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[29]  H. Arkowitz,et al.  Social Anxiety and Self-Evaluation of Interpersonal Performance , 1975, Psychological reports.

[30]  P. Kendall,et al.  Assessment and cognitive-behavioral interventions , 1979, Cognitive Therapy and Research.

[31]  A. Ellis,et al.  Handbook of Rational-Emotive Therapy , 1986 .

[32]  R M Schwartz,et al.  Toward a task analysis of assertive behavior. , 1976, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[33]  M. Goldfried,et al.  A Behavioral-Analytic Model for Assessing Competence1 , 1969 .

[34]  J. Galassi,et al.  Modification of Heterosocial Skills Deficits , 1979 .

[35]  J. Cacioppo,et al.  Self-statements and self-evaluations: A cognitive-response analysis of heterosocial anxiety , 1979, Cognitive Therapy and Research.

[36]  K. R. Mitchell,et al.  Note on Treatment of Heterosexual Anxiety Using Short-Term Massed Desensitization , 1974, Psychological reports.

[37]  R. McFall,et al.  Behavioral training of social skills in shy males. , 1975, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[38]  Development and validation of a heterosocial skills inventory: The survey of heterosexual interactions for females. , 1978 .

[39]  R. Glasgow,et al.  The behavioral assessment of male and female social competence in dyadic heterosexual interactions. , 1975 .

[40]  A. Bandura.  Principles of behavior modification , 1969 .