title: Anticipatory autonomic response to a public speaking task in women: the role of trait anxiety.
abstract: The aim of this research was to study anticipatory autonomic responses their relationship to trait anxiety. Twenty-three women prepared an evaluated speech (S-condition) and 22 women an evaluated essay (W-condition). Heart rate (HR), finger pulse volume (FPV) and skin conductance were recorded before, during and after preparation of the task and during task performance; state-anxiety was evaluated before and after the task. In the total sample, state-anxiety was higher in the S- than in W-condition and this anxiety increase was accompanied by FPV reductions. However, when the sample was split according to trait anxiety scores, HR during preparation and increases of state-anxiety were greater in S- than W-condition in only in high-anxious women. Results suggest that specificity of anticipatory HR response to a public speaking task in women is moderated by cognitive anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicobiología y Psicología Social, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Valencia, Area de Psicobiología, Apartado 22109, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Esperanza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Bono
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moya-Albiol
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salvador
authors.forename: Eduvigis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carrillo
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ricarte
authors.forename: Jesus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gomez-Amor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*