Interaction Effects of Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System and Cost/Probability Biases on...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Social anxiety disorder (SAD) symptoms are perpetuated by cognitive biases, specifically overestimations of negative social event severity and likelihood (cost/probability biases).
• Sensitivity to rewards and punishments, governed by behavioral inhibition/behavioral activation systems (BIS/BAS), also plays a role in SAD.
• Cost/probability biases may trigger the behavioral immune system, intensifying social event avoidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interaction effects of BIS/BAS and cost/probability biases on SAD symptoms.
• To examine how cognitive biases and BIS/BAS influence social anxiety and avoidance behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-six Japanese undergraduate students participated in the study.
• Participants completed the Japanese version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), BIS/BAS Scale, and Social Cost Probability Scale.
• Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the main and interaction effects.

Main Results:

• Cost bias and BIS significantly affected LSAS-Fear and LSAS-Avoidance.
• The interaction between cost bias and BAS was significant for LSAS-Avoidance, particularly in low-BAS individuals.
• The interaction between probability bias and BAS was also significant for LSAS-Avoidance, with differing effects for low-BAS individuals.

Conclusions:

• Low-BAS individuals with high cost or low probability biases tend to avoid social events.
• High-BAS individuals may be less likely to avoid social events, even with cognitive biases, due to reward anticipation.