Differential effects of self-focused attention and levels of training on social self-beliefs and social behavior

This study was designed to assess the impact of four additive treatment levels on self-reported thoughts, feelings and behaviors, given a condition of self-focused attention, and to compare the results to those of other studies using analogue and clinical populations. The results indicated that subjects exposed to Self-Monitoring, Exposure, Social Skills and Consequences (directing focus toward interactional partner) treatment conditions showed nonsignificant changes across time in self-reported feelings or thoughts. Further, only nonsignificant between-group differences were found by the dependent measures. Some changes over time in conversational behavior were noted in the frequency patterns of beginning, maintaining and terminating conversations. Some frequency changes were also noted in self-reported instances of avoidance behaviors. The results supported the difficulties noted by others in generalizing treatment results between clinical and analogue populations. Questions involving accurate operational definitions of clinical and analogue groups, the lack of convergence of social anxiety questionnaire results, and difficulties in measuring behavioral change data were also noted