Virtually unexpected: No role for expectancy violation in virtual reality exposure for public speaking anxiety
Open accessAbstract
In the current study, we examined the role of expectancy violation and retrospective reasoning about the absence of feared outcomes in virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET). Participants fearful of public speaking were asked to give speeches in virtual reality. We asked each participant individually to report their expectancies about feared outcomes in public speaking situations and which of these could be tested in VRET. Each of the expectancies was categorized as being related to: (1) participants' own reactions, (2) (overt) reactions of the audience, or (3) (covert) negative evaluation. We examined whether the proportion of testable expectancies could predict treatment outcome and which type of expectancies were evaluated as being more testable in VRET. Additionally, we experimentally manipulated retrospective reasoning about whether or not expectancies related to the overt reactions of the audience could be violated by providing verbal information after VRET about whether or not the virtual audience was interactive. A reduction in public speaking anxiety was observed from pre- to post-VRET. Treatment effects were, however, not predicted by the individually reported proportions of testable expectancies. Participants evaluated expectancies about their own reactions as being more testable in VRET compared to expectancies about reactions of the audience or about being negatively evaluated. In addition, we did not find evidence that the experimental manipulation regarding whether or not the audience was interactive influenced treatment effects. In conclusion, the results of the current study suggest that the effects of VRET are not univocally explained by the mechanism of expectancy violation.
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Patient expectancies did not predict symptom reduction in a study in PSA.
“but by contrast, patient expectancies did not predict symptom reduction in a study in PSA (Scheveneels et al., 2019).”
From Virtual Reality exposure therapy in the treatment of public speaking anxiety and social anxiety disorder (2024) · cites this paper as Scheveneels et al., 2019
In Results, the proportion of testable expectancies did not significantly predict pre–post treatment effects after correction for multiple tests. But a separate Results analysis found that expectancies about participants’ own reactions significantly predicted worse treatment effects on the PRCS (p = 0.007). The unqualified statement that patient expectancies did not predict symptom reduction therefore overlooks that finding. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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- Authors
- Scheveneels, S., Boddez, Y., Van Daele, T., & Hermans, D.
- Affiliations
- KU Leuven (BE)
- University of Groningen (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Scheveneels, Sara
- Venue
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2019-12-17
- Volume
- 10
- Pages
- 2849-2849
- ISSN
- 1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6928118
- OpenAlex
- W2993039877
- Cited by
- 33
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 1.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Lirias (KU Leuven) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- KU Leuven (PF/10/005)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Assessments
- Keywords
- virtual reality exposure therapy, public speaking anxiety, speaking anxiety, expectancy violation, audience evaluation, treatment outcome prediction
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