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The Role of Auditory Cues in the Detection of State Anxiety 1
Author(s) -
Harrigan Jinni A.,
Larson Mary Ann,
Pflum Catherine J.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1994.tb00570.x
Subject(s) - psychology , anxiety , set (abstract data type) , social anxiety , social psychology , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , computer science , psychiatry , programming language
Detecting anxiety is essential in both help‐giving settings and in everyday social relationships. The studies reported here represent a follow‐up to an earlier set of studies in which observers (raters) accurately identified others' (expressers') state anxiety using either video‐only cues or audio‐video cues. The earlier studies had included expressers who were repressors and nonrepressors, while the present studies included only nonrepressors. Observers viewedheard selected segments of previously videotaped expressers' self‐reported high and low state anxiety experiences. Surprisingly, unlike the earlier studies, state anxiety was significantly inaccurately evaluated when video‐only cues were used, but when audio cues were available, state anxiety was correctly identified. Information in video‐only cues seemed to mislead observers since low compared with high state anxiety was rated as more anxious. These studies, and the significant comparison between studies with audio cues present and with audio cues absent, indicate the impact of auditory cues in detecting state anxiety in others.