title: Self-focused attention affects subsequent processing of positive (but not negative) performance appraisals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cognitive-behavioral models highlight the conjoint roles of self-focused attention (SFA), post-event processing (PEP), and performance appraisals in the maintenance of social anxiety. SFA, PEP, and biased performance appraisals are related to social anxiety; however, limited research has examined how SFA affects information-processing following social events. The current study examined whether SFA affects the relationships between performance appraisals and PEP following a social event..
  
  
  METHODS
  137 participants with high (n = 72) or low (n = 65) social anxiety were randomly assigned to conditions of high SFA or low SFA while engaging in a standardized social performance. Subsequent performance appraisals and PEP were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immediate performance appraisals were not affected by SFA. High levels of SFA led to a stronger, inverse relationship between immediate positive performance appraisals and subsequent negative PEP. High levels of SFA also led to a stronger, inverse relationship between negative PEP and changes in positive performance appraisals..
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Future research should examine whether the current findings, which involved a standardized social performance event, extend to interaction events as well as in a clinical sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that SFA affects the processing of positive information following a social performance event. SFA is particularly important for understanding how negative PEP undermines positive performance appraisals..
authors.affiliation: Northern Illinois University, United States. Electronic address: jacob.b.holzman@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jacob B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Holzman
authors.affiliation: Northern Illinois University, United States.
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Valentiner
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety; D001288:Attention; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: Performance appraisals; Post-event processing; Self-focused attention; Social anxiety