Simulated public speaking as a model of clinical anxiety

✍ Scribed by Douglas M. McNair; Laura M. Frankenthaler; Thomas Czerlinsky; Thomas W. White; Stephen Sasson; Seymour Fisher

• Book ID: 104772365
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 389 KB
• Volume: 77
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0033-3158
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00436092

✦ Synopsis

Normal male volunteers took single acute doses of either diazepam or placebo under double-blind conditions in three simulated public speaking experiments. Measures of palmar sweating and subjective anxiety showed that anticipation of speaking in public increased anxiety relative to baseline and prestress conditions, and performance of public speaking further increased anxiety. A dose-related anxiolytic effect of diazepam on subjective anxiety supported the model's clinical relevance. Moreover, the intensity of the subject's public speaking phobia predicted both degree of prestress anxiety relief from 10rag diazepam and overall anxiety level, regardless of medication, throughout the experimental session. A measure of traditionalism predicted placebo and 5 mg diazepam response during prestress : As in previous clinical trials, high traditionalism scorers reported more relief from placebo, whereas low scorers showed more relief from diazepam.