ne me quitte pas: an anxiety-induced bias in the...

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Procedure:

We selected participants based on their social

anxiety score (LSAS, 17 low, 15 high)

We parametrically varied perspective

information in different trials (40 trials/level)

Participants reported percept: facing towards

you or facing away

Ne me Quitte pas: An Anxiety-induced Bias

in the Perception of a Bistable Point-light Walker

Low Social Anxiety

High Social Anxiety

Perspective (in field of view angle)

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Sander Van de Cruys, Ben Schouten, Johan Wagemans

Contact: sander.vandecruys@ppw.kuleuven.be

Funding: Methusalem program of the Flemish government METH/08/02

Questions: Conclusions:

Observers have a strong bias towards

perceiving a bistable point-light walker as

walking towards them. It has been assumed

that this is due to the higher social or

emotional relevance of this percept. If so,

can we find a different bias in people with

high social anxiety?

Studies of emotion effects on

perception find either a positivity (‘wishful

seeing') or a negativity bias (towards

negative stimuli/interpretations). Which

is supported when using the more subtle

emotional value of our biological motion

stimulus?

Observers with high social anxiety tended

to see walkers as facing away more frequently

than those with low social anxiety.

This suggests that trait social anxiety can bias

perception in a way that counters this anxiety.

This self-protective (positivity) bias might be

specific to nonclinical anxiety, because it

opposes the attentional bias towards threat

typically found in clinically anxious groups.