33rd Annual Student Research Conference
Social Anxiety in the Get-Acquainted Process Among College Students
Erin K. Hannegan McKee*, Myranda Billington, Samantha Carroll, and Lydia Helfrich
Dr. Jeffrey Vittengl, Faculty Mentor
Social anxiety often involves safety behaviors (behaviors that hide anxiety) and self-monitoring (attending to one’s own behavior and others’ reactions). Social anxiety correlates with lower social attraction (Taylor & Alden, 2011; Snyder, 1979). The current study hypothesized that lower social anxiety and fewer safety behaviors predicted greater social attraction in get-acquainted conversations. Undergraduates (N = 138) engaged in brief get-acquainted conversations and completed questionnaires measuring acquaintanceship before and after conversations, social anxiety, safety behaviors, self-monitoring, and social attraction towards their partners. Participants reported significant increases in acquaintanceship and reciprocated social attraction. Social attraction was higher when targets (the subject of interest) used fewer safety behaviors, and when both targets’ and partners’ social anxiety was higher. Future research might test how social anxiety predicts the quantity and quality of self-disclosure, and how this self-disclosure predicts social attraction in turn.
Keywords:
Topic(s):Psychology
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA