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Browsing by Author "Hannesdottir, Dagmar Kristin"

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    Reduction of fear arousal in young adults with speech anxiety through elicitation of positive emotions
    Hannesdottir, Dagmar Kristin (Virginia Tech, 2007-08-31)
    A research study was conducted to examine Fredrickson's Broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions in a speech anxious sample of undergraduate students. Experimental elicitation of positive emotions has previously been shown to speed cardiovascular recovery, increase attention, and broaden thought-action repertoires compared to elicitation of negative or neutral emotions (Fredrickson et al., 2000). 88 undergraduate students were selected from a screening process based on their reported speech anxiety on the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker (PRCS). Students who reported low or high speech anxiety completed an anxiety provoking task and were subsequently exposed to either a neutral emotion condition "Pipes" film) or one of two positive emotion conditions ("Puppy" film or thinking of a happy memory task). Fredrickson's theory was not supported since results showed no differences in cardiovascular recovery, thought-action repertoires, or global thinking for either groups or conditions. However, differences were found for broadened scope of attention on a modified Stroop task where the low anxiety group responded faster to threat words in the neutral and happy memory conditions than after viewing a positive film. Results of the study are discussed in light of attribution theory of emotion and previous studies on the effects of positive emotions.
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    Social Skills among Socially Anxious Children in Iceland
    Hannesdottir, Dagmar Kristin (Virginia Tech, 2005-05-03)
    The primary purpose of this study was to examine the nature of social skills in socially anxious children from a social learning theory perspective. The reasons why socially anxious children often perform poorly in social situations have not yet been fully resolved. Is it due to lack of social skills or are these children too inhibited and nervous in social situations to exhibit the skills they possess? Ninety-two elementary and middle school children (age 10-14 years) in Kopavogur, Iceland participated in the study and completed questionnaires on social phobia and anxiety, social skills, assertiveness, and self-efficacy and outcome expectancy in social situations with friends and strangers. Based on how socially anxious they reported to be on the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C), 59 children were selected for further study. Results showed that socially anxious children reported being less socially skilled, less assertive with strangers than with friends, and lower in self-efficacy and outcome expectancy than children in a normal comparison group. However, the socially anxious children were not rated as less skilled by parents or teachers than the other children. Implications for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with social anxiety are discussed.