Differential relations between heart rate and skin conductance, and public speaking anxiety.
The present pilot study tested whether the lack of consistent findings of relations between autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and non-clinical levels of public speaking anxiety (PSA) can be explained by methodology. An ambulatory protocol was utilised to test whether the interaction of belief structure with each of an undergraduate student speaker's heart rate and skin conductance level predicted state speech anxiety better than their linear summation. Results suggest that in a non-clinical population, the interaction of ANS activity and belief structure is an important determinant of PSA, and may account for variable findings in the literature.
Croft
Rodney J
RJ
Brain & Behaviour Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong 2522, Australia. rcroft@bsi.swin.edu.au
Gonsalvez
Craig J
CJ
Gander
Joanne
J
Lechem
Lisa
L
Barry
Robert J
RJ
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics; D013060:Speech