Chronic Self-Consciousness and Its Effects on Cognitive Performance, Physiology, and Self-Reported Anxiety

Abstract

Self-focused attention, as induced in the lab, facilitates task performance in some instances and inhibits it in others. Less is know about the effects of trait self-consciousness on performance. The present study examines the effect of private and public self-consciousness on a digit recall task under evaluation and induced self-consciousness conditions, among high and low socially anxious individuals. The aims were to examine the interaction between trait self-consciousness, social anxiety and evaluation so as to decipher whether it is self-directed attention or increased evaluation anxiety that affects performance. A second aim was to examine the reaction of chronically self-conscious individuals to the state self-consciousness manipulation and the effects this would have on performance. Results indicate that private self-consciousness plays a more significant role in performance than public self-consciousness. It resulted in worse performance under evaluation but only among those who are also socially anxious and when the task was difficult. Physiological measures indicated that the effect on performance was mostly due to inappropriate allocation of attention, rather than anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)