Misattribution and speech anxiety

Abstract

It has been reported that misattribution can enhance the social behavior of shy subjects. By extrapolation, misattribution should also calm speech-anxious subjects and improve their speechmaking. We therefore crosscut misattribution versus control and high versus low speech anxiety, and assessed the impact on nervous behavior and speechmaking. Misattribution did not significantly affect most of the behavior of subjects making speeches. We discuss the implications of these findings for misattribution when personality traits are involved.