Validating Self-Report Measures of State and Trait Anxiety Against a Physiological Measure

While anxiety research frequently uses only self-report measures to assess dimensions of state and trait anxiety, the present study sought to corroborate these self-report measures using a physiological measure, namely heart rate. Another aim of the present study was to test the multidimensional interaction model of anxiety in a social evaluation situation (i.e., a seminar presentation), using a physiological measure of state anxiety. Graduate psychology students completed a state anxiety questionnaire and were attached to a heart rate recorder prior to a class seminar presentation. One week later, students completed trait and state anxiety questionnaires and were again attached to a heart rate recorder prior to seminar observation by others. Heart rate was elevated during seminar presentation relative to seminar observation, reached maximum values during the first 15 minutes of seminar presentation and then decreased over time. State anxiety scores indicate that participants were experiencing considerably more anxiety just before presenting the seminar than just before observing a seminar. Heart rate during seminar presentation was significantly correlated with selfreport state anxiety and self-report social evaluation trait anxiety, but not with seminar grade. Support was found for the multidimensional interaction model of anxiety using the physiological measure (i.e., heart rate).