Anticipation of public speaking in virtual reality reveals a relationship between trait social anxiety and startle reactivity

Brian R. Cornwell*, Linda Johnson, Luciano Berardi, Christian Grillon

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

82 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Startle reflex modification has become valuable to the study of fear and anxiety, but few studies have explored startle reactivity in socially threatening situations. Methods: Healthy participants ranging in trait social anxiety entered virtual reality (VR) that simulates standing center-stage in front of an audience to anticipate giving a speech and count backward. We measured startle and autonomic reactivity during anticipation of both tasks inside VR after a single baseline recording outside VR. Results: Trait social anxiety, but not general trait anxiety, was positively correlated with startle before entering VR and most clearly during speech anticipation inside VR. Speech anticipation inside VR also elicited stronger physiologic responses relative to anticipation of counting. Conclusions: Under social-evaluative threat, startle reactivity showed robust relationships with fear of negative evaluation, a central aspect of social anxiety and clinical social phobia. Context-specific startle modification may be an endophenotype for subtypes of pathological anxiety.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)664-666
Number of pages3
JournalBiological Psychiatry
Volume59
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2006
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Fear of negative evaluation
  • Psychophysiology
  • Public speaking
  • Social anxiety
  • Startle reflex
  • Virtual reality

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