1. Blushing-Fearful Individuals’ Judgmental Biases and Conditional Cognitions: An Internet Inquiry.
- Author
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Dijk, Corine, de Jong, Peter J., Müller, Elke, and Boersma, Wietse
- Subjects
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COGNITION , *BLUSHING , *BLOOD circulation , *BODY language , *EMBARRASSMENT - Abstract
The present study examines two mechanisms that might explain why blushing-fearful individuals fear blushing: Judgmental biases for blushing in ordinary social situations that usually do not elicit a blush, and negative conditional cognitions about blushing irrespective of situation. A web-based self-report measure, linked to a German internet forum for people with fear of blushing, was completed by a group of high blushing-fearful participants ( n = 155) and a low fear group ( n = 61). Supporting the idea that cognitive biases are involved in fear of blushing, blushing-fearful participants showed inflated estimates of both the probability and the costs of blushing in these situations. In addition, blushing-fearful individuals were characterized by relatively negative conditional cognitions about blushing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
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