The Effects of Audience Size on High and Low Speech-Anxious Subjects During an Actual Speaking Task

McKinney, Mark E.; Gatchel, Robert J.; Paulus, Paul B.

doi:10.1207/s15324834basp0401_6

Cited by 29 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Students may also feel anxious in science classes because science faculty have been described as “unapproachable” by students (Seymour and Hewitt 1997), and there are often fewer female instructors and instructors of color in science, which has been hypothesized to increase anxiety for students in minority groups (Mallow 2006). Finally, many college science classrooms are large enrollment, particularly at the introductory level, which can elevate student anxiety levels because of the large numbers of students (McKinney et al 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of active learning practices on student anxiety in large-enrollment college science classrooms

2018

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BackgroundOver the past decade, the prevalence of anxiety has increased among college-aged students and college counseling centers have become increasingly concerned about the negative impact of anxiety on students. While college in general can be stressful, college science classrooms have the potential to be especially anxiety-inducing because of the sometimes chilly and competitive environment of the class. Further, college science courses are increasingly being transitioned from traditional lecture to active learning where students take an active role in their learning, often through participating in activities such as clicker questions and group work. There is emerging evidence that suggests active learning activities may cause students to feel anxious, but no studies have thoroughly explored why active learning activities in science courses may increase students’ anxiety. Further, no studies have explored whether active learning activities can reduce students’ anxiety. In this exploratory interview study of 52 students enrolled in large-enrollment active learning college science courses, we investigate how three active learning practices, clicker questions, group work, and cold call/random call, increase and decrease students’ anxiety.ResultsStudents reported that clicker questions and group work had the potential to both increase and decrease their anxiety. The way the active learning activity is implemented and the extent to which students perceive they benefit from the activity seems to influence the effect of the activity on students’ anxiety. Conversely, students reported that cold call and random call only increased their anxiety. From our interviews, we identified the fear of negative evaluation, or the sense of dread associated with being unfavorably evaluated while participating in a social situation, as the primary construct underlying students’ high levels of anxiety associated with speaking out in front of the whole class when they do not volunteer.ConclusionThis study illustrates that active learning can both increase and decrease students’ anxiety depending on the way active learning is implemented. We hope that this study encourages instructors to create more inclusive active learning science courses by implementing active learning in ways that minimize students’ anxiety.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of active learning practices on student anxiety in large-enrollment college science classrooms

2018

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“…The results of a number of studies support the main idea of drive theory, and many researchers have considered that arousal enhanced through the perception of the presence of other individuals plays a crucial role in social facilitation ( Zajonc, 1980 ; Bond and Titus, 1983 ; Guerin, 1993 ). Heightened arousal based on the perception of others in the social facilitation literature has been examined by using self-reports ( McKinney et al, 1983 ) or several physiological indices such as heart rate (HR; Amoroso and Walters, 1969 ), palmar sweat ( Elliot and Cohen, 1981 ), and electrodermal ( Borden et al, 1976 ), and cardiovascular responses ( Blascovich et al, 1999 ). According to a meta-analysis ( Mullen et al, 1997 ), when these indices are used, the presence of others in the co-action and audience conditions significantly elicits an arousal level in the performer; however, the mere presence of other individuals does not affect the arousal level measured by self-reports.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The combination of perception of other individuals and exogenous manipulation of arousal enhances social facilitation as an aftereffect: re-examination of Zajoncâ€™s drive theory

et al. 2015

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Zajonc’s drive theory postulates that arousal enhanced through the perception of the presence of other individuals plays a crucial role in social facilitation (Zajonc, 1965). Here, we conducted two experiments to examine whether the elevation of arousal through a stepping exercise performed in front of others as an exogenous factor causes social facilitation of a cognitive task in a condition where the presence of others does not elevate the arousal level. In the main experiment, as an “aftereffect of social stimulus,” we manipulated the presence or absence of others and arousal enhancement before participants conducted the primary cognitive task. The results showed that the strongest social facilitation was induced by the combination of the perception of others and arousal enhancement. In a supplementary experiment, we manipulated these factors by adding the presence of another person during the task. The results showed that the effect of the presence of the other during the primary task is enough on its own to produce facilitation of task performance regardless of the arousal enhancement as an aftereffect of social stimulus. Our study therefore extends the framework of Zajonc’s drive theory in that the combination of the perception of others and enhanced arousal as an “aftereffect” was found to induce social facilitation especially when participants did not experience the presence of others while conducting the primary task.

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“…found that evaluative threat enhanced systolic blood pressure reactivity in men and women during public speaking. Despite some variations in methods and results, as well as some negative findings~e.g., Borden, Hendrick, & Walker, 1976;Henchy & Glass, 1968;McKinney, Gatchel, & Paulus, 1983!, this literature as a whole indicates that mere and evaluative observation modulate autonomic reactivity, with a specific effect on sympathetic reactivity.…”

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confidence: 99%

Cardiovascular reactivity and adaptation to recurrent psychological stress: The moderating effects of evaluative observation

et al. 2000

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The impact of evaluative observation on cardiovascular reactivity and adaptation to recurrent psychological stress was evaluated in 162 undergraduate men and women. All participants performed three mental arithmetic tasks with or without evaluative observation. Impedance cardiographic, blood pressure, task performance, and stress appraisal measures were recorded for each task. Evaluative observation moderated the effects of task repetition on cardiac reactivity but not vascular reactivity. The introduction of evaluative observation disrupted cardiac adaptation, resulting in a resurgence of beta-adrenergic cardiac reactivity (p < .005), whereas the removal of evaluative observation promoted cardiac adaptation. Evaluative observation also increased stress appraisals and slowed task performance. The results support the dual process theory of habituation, rather than stimulus comparator theory, but only partially support cognitive appraisal theory.

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The Effects of Audience Size on High and Low Speech-Anxious Subjects During an Actual Speaking Task

Cited by 29 publications

References 20 publications

The influence of active learning practices on student anxiety in large-enrollment college science classrooms

The influence of active learning practices on student anxiety in large-enrollment college science classrooms

The combination of perception of other individuals and exogenous manipulation of arousal enhances social facilitation as an aftereffect: re-examination of Zajoncâ€™s drive theory

Cardiovascular reactivity and adaptation to recurrent psychological stress: The moderating effects of evaluative observation

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