Social comparison modulates coping with fear in virtual environments.

Social comparison can guide adaptive behavior in fear-related situations. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of social comparison standards on acute anxiety levels and phobic symptoms. The sample comprised 159 individuals (M = 23.

Correction: Controlling Social Stress in Virtual Reality Environments.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Cognitive predictors of treatment outcome for exposure therapy: do changes in self-efficacy, self-focused attention, and estimated social costs predict symptom improvement in social anxiety disorder?

Background: Cognitions play an important role in the development and maintenance of social anxiety disorder (SAD).

Methods: To investigate whether changes in cognitions during the first six sessions of exposure therapy are associated with treatment outcome, we assessed reported self-focused attention, self-efficacy in social situations, and estimated social costs in 60 participants (M = 36.9 years) diagnosed with SAD who received in vivo or virtual reality exposure therapy.

Self-report questionnaires, behavioral assessment tasks, and an implicit behavior measure: do they predict social anxiety in everyday life?

Social anxiety is commonly assessed with self-report measures. This study aimed to investigate whether maximum anxiety levels during in vivo and virtual reality behavioral assessment tasks (BATs), and implicit approach-avoidance tendencies during the approach-avoidance task (AAT) explain more variation as predictors of daily social anxiety than self-report measures. A total of 62 university students ( = 20.

Meta-analysis of technology-assisted interventions for social anxiety disorder.

This meta-analysis investigated the efficacy of technology-assisted interventions for individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD). A systematic literature search in the databases Medline, PsychInfo, and Web of Science revealed 37 randomized controlled trials (2991 participants) that were grouped into internet delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT; 21 trials), virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET; 3 trials), and cognitive bias modification (CBM; 13 trials). Patients undergoing ICBT and VRET showed significantly less SAD symptoms at postassessment than passive control conditions (g=0.

Exposure to virtual social interactions in the treatment of social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial.

This randomized controlled trial investigated the efficacy of a stand-alone virtual reality exposure intervention comprising verbal interaction with virtual humans to target heterogeneous social fears in participants with social anxiety disorder. Sixty participants (Mage = 36.9 years; 63.

Social interactions in virtual reality exposure therapy: A proof-of-concept pilot study.

Background And Objectives: Research on virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) has demonstrated good treatment efficacy with regards to several anxiety disorders. Yet, there is lack of knowledge about the value of integrating interaction between clients and virtual humans in VRET. Such interaction might prove effective in treating psychological complaints that involve social interactions, such as social anxiety.

Controlling social stress in virtual reality environments.

Virtual reality exposure therapy has been proposed as a viable alternative in the treatment of anxiety disorders, including social anxiety disorder. Therapists could benefit from extensive control of anxiety eliciting stimuli during virtual exposure. Two stimuli controls are studied in this study: the social dialogue situation, and the dialogue feedback responses (negative or positive) between a human and a virtual character.

Training approach-avoidance of smiling faces affects emotional vulnerability in socially anxious individuals.

PREVIOUS RESEARCH REVEALED AN AUTOMATIC BEHAVIORAL BIAS IN HIGH SOCIALLY ANXIOUS INDIVIDUALS (HSAS): although their explicit evaluations of smiling faces are positive, they show automatic avoidance of these faces. This is reflected by faster pushing than pulling of smiling faces in an Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT; Heuer et al., 2007).

Automatic mechanisms for measuring subjective unit of discomfort.

Current practice in Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) is that therapists ask patients about their anxiety level by means of the Subjective Unit of Discomfort (SUD) scale. With an aim of developing a home-based VRET system, this measurement ideally should be done using speech technology. In a VRET system for social phobia with scripted avatar-patient dialogues, the timing of asking patients to give their SUD score becomes relevant.