Comparing the Metacognitive Process of Students with- and without Social Phobia

Recent researches have shown that attention bias plays an important role in the etiology and persistence of anxiety disorders. This study aimed to investigate how to meta-cognitive processing (presence or absence of attention bias) to the associated stimuli with anger and joy in normal individuals and those suffering from social anxiety, using new method called Dot probe test. This causal-comparative study was done in 2014. Samples included ordinary students of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and people referred to psychotherapy clinics of the University which ultimately 36 patients (18 patients with social anxiety disorder and 18 normal) out of them were selected using achievable sampling. Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) and dot probe test were used to collect data. Data were analyzed by SPSS 19 using independent-T test. The mean reaction time to stimulus words of anger in people with social anxiety was significantly lower than normal people (p<01.0). But, there was no significant difference between reaction time to the stimulus words of happiness in people with social anxiety disorder and normal people (p>05.0). Using meta-cognitive therapies to improve cognitive processing can treat people with social anxiety.