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Evaluation ViewAttendees 4

Adult - Anxiety
Session Type:: Symposia

Symposium 34 - Novel Approaches to Delineating the Cognitive Mechanisms and Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder

Saturday, November 22, 2025
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM CST
Location: Bolden 2, Level 2
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Social Anxiety, Cognitive Processes, Technology / Mobile Health
Level of Familiarity: All
Recommended Readings: Flynn, A. J., & Yoon, K. L. (2024). Post-event processing in social anxiety: A scoping review. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 102947.,   Hofmann, S. G. (2007). Cognitive factors that maintain social anxiety disorder: A comprehensive model and its treatment implications. Cognitive behaviour therapy, 36(4), 193-209.,   Moscovitch, D. A. (2009). What is the core fear in social phobia? A new model to facilitate individualized case conceptualization and treatment. Cognitive and behavioral practice, 16(2), 123-134.,   ,  

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a highly prevalent and burdensome condition, associated with an early age of onset, high rates of chronicity and psychiatric comorbidity, and significant occupational and social impairment (Stein et al., 2017). While evidence-based treatments for SAD (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are effective for many patients, rates of treatment non-response, residual symptoms, and relapse remain notable, with about half of patients experiencing clinically significant symptoms after treatment (Blanco et al., 2003; Canton et al., 2012; Davidson et al., 2004). Improving treatment outcomes might require a better understanding of the underlying cognitive and affective mechanisms that perpetuate social anxiety.
This symposium is centered around several recent advances in the cognitive science of social anxiety and its treatment. The studies presented in the symposium have applied rigorous methods such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and machine learning to examine mechanisms underlying the maintenance of SAD in innovative and ecologically valid ways, as well as to explore factors that influence the efficacy of modern treatments for SAD. Presenters will contextualize novel insights into cognitive-behavioral theories of SAD and describe how recent findings point towards potential treatment avenues.
The first presentation describes a daily diary study examining the interplay between social anxiety, post-event processing, and self-doubt in predicting reassurance seeking in daily life. The second presentation explores the semantic network biases associated with social anxiety that may underlie post-event processing. The third presentation reports on a mixed methods study exploring the nature and accuracy of social worries in daily life. The fourth presentation describes the naturalistic form and function of attentional biases during social interactions using EMA. Finally, the fifth presentation applies machine learning to identify prescriptive indicators for a mindfulness-based ecological momentary intervention for SAD.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Understand the precipitants and functional role of reassurance seeking in the maintenance of social anxiety.
  2. Explain how biased semantic networks may contribute to maladaptive thought processes in social anxiety.
  3. Discuss the content and validity of feared outcomes that characterize social worries.
  4. Describe the patterns of attention that characterize and maintain social anxiety.
  5. Identify patient characteristics that may serve as prescriptive indicators for a mindfulness ecological momentary intervention for SAD.

Presentations:

  • 10:05 AM - 10:22 AM CST
    (SYM 34) The Role of Daily Self-doubt, Post-event Processing, and Reassurance Quality on Excessive Reassurance Urges for People with Social Anxiety

    Speaker: Van Bui, M.A. (she/her/hers) – University of Waterloo

    Co-author: David A. Moscovitch, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – University of Waterloo

  • 10:22 AM - 10:39 AM CST
    (SYM 34) The Presence of Others Amplifies Negative Semantic Networks in Social Anxiety

    Speaker: Aidan J. Flynn, Other (he/him/his) – University of Maryland School of Medicine

    Co-author: Lira yoon, PhD – University of Maryland, Baltimore County

  • 10:39 AM - 10:56 AM CST
    (SYM 34) The Nature and Accuracy of Worries in the Daily Social Lives of People with Social Anxiety

    Speaker: Fallon Goodman, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – George Washington University

    Co-author: Saskia L. Jorgensen, B.A. – The George Washington University

    Co-author: Shirin Podury, B.S. – The George Washington University

    Co-author: Carsyn Parmelee, B.A. (she/her/hers) – George Washington University

  • 10:56 AM - 11:13 AM CST
    (SYM 34) Naturalistic Patterns of Attention and Cognition in Social Anxiety: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

    Speaker: Alexandra M. Adamis, M.S. (she/her/hers) – Vanderbilt University

    Co-author: Savannah Walske, . – Vanderbilt University

    Co-author: Bunmi O. Olatunji, Ph.D. – Vanderbilt University

  • 11:13 AM - 11:30 AM CST
    (SYM 34) Prescriptive Predictors of Mindfulness Ecological Momentary Intervention for Social Anxiety Disorder: Machine Learning Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial Data

    Speaker: Nur Hani Zainal, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Harvard Medical School

    Co-author: Michelle G. Newman, Ph.D., Ph.D. – The Pennsylvania State University