An examination of the long term effect of performance visualization

Abstract

This investigation examined whether performance visualization impacts the way high communication apprehensive (CA) people envision themselves as public speakers over time. To that end, high CA individuals were randomly assigned to performance visualization, placebo, or control conditions. When asked to draw pictures of themselves as speakers, high CAs depicted themselves in a more positive, vivid, “in control” fashion after exposure to performance visualization than did those exposed to the control or placebo conditions. These high CAs also reported experiencing lower levels of trait and state CA than did high CAs in the placebo and control conditions. These findings and their implications are discussed at the conclusion of this report.