Seton Hall University eRepository @ Seton Hall Seton Hall University Dissertations and eses (ETDs) Seton Hall University Dissertations and eses Spring 5-2011 e Impact of Internet Experiences on Embarrassment Joseph Tucciarone Jr. Seton Hall University Follow this and additional works at: hps://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Tucciarone, Joseph Jr., "e Impact of Internet Experiences on Embarrassment" (2011). Seton Hall University Dissertations and eses (ETDs). 24. hps://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/24
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Seton Hall UniversityeRepository @ Seton HallSeton Hall University Dissertations and Theses(ETDs) Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses
Spring 5-2011
The Impact of Internet Experiences onEmbarrassmentJoseph Tucciarone Jr.Seton Hall University
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations
Part of the Psychology Commons
Recommended CitationTucciarone, Joseph Jr., "The Impact of Internet Experiences on Embarrassment" (2011). Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses(ETDs). 24.https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/24
List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. iv
Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ v
Humanities; 0.8% Arts). Freshmen were reported at a higher frequency than those in other years
of college (48%; 30.4% sophomores; 13.6% juniors; 8% seniors). Table 1 presents means for
dependent variables in the whole sample and by condition (in-person, online). Independent
samples t-test analyses were conducted to assess any significant differences in means for the
variables. Results indicate a significant mean difference for average Fazrx Pas Embarrassment.
General Sample In-Person Online
Age 19.01 1.60 19.13 1.60 Average FULLY Pas Embarrassment 4.75** 1.08 5.15 1.08 Average Fazix Pus Avoidance 2.79 1.45 2.98 1.62 Average Center of Attention Embarrassment 3.1 1 1.24 3.13 1.30 Average Center of Attention Avoidance 2.32 1.38 2.43 1.40 Average Sticky Situation Embarrassment 5.4 1 1.26 5.24 1.32 Average Sticky Situation Avoidance 4.09 1.45 4.01 1.37
Table 1. Descriptive Statistics for Dependent Variables *"p< -001
Levels oj'Embarrassment
Table 2 describes the results of hierarchical regressions predicting average embarrassment.
The interaction of SPA1 score and condition for the F a n Pas ( F (4, 124) = 6 . 8 6 , ~ = .900; R ~ =
.186), Center of Attention ( F (4, 124) = 5 . 4 7 , ~ = .741; R ~ = .154) and Sticky Situations ( F (4,
124) = 6 . 9 4 , ~ = .474; R2= .I 88) subtypes were not significant. However, there was a significant
effect of SPAI score (F (2, 124) = 3.53, p = .012; R2= .055) and condition (F (3, 124) = 9 . 2 2 , ~ =
.000; R2= .186) for the Faux Pas subtype as participants found in-person situations, where
someone makes a social mistake more embarrassing than those occurring online. In this subtype,
the variance increase of .13 1 suggests that SPAI score significantly adds to the contribution of
condition. For the Center of Attention subtype, rejection sensitivity was a significant predictor of
embarrassment (F (2, 124) = 1 1.00, p = ,000; R2= .153), suggesting that those who were sensitive
about rejection found being the focus of attention more embarrassing than who are not concerned
about rejection. Lastly, for the Sticky Situation subtype, both SPAI score (F (2, 124)= 1 2 . 5 7 , ~ =
.001; R2= .171) and rejection sensitivity ( F (2, 124)= 12 .57 ,~ = .022; R2= -171) were significant
predictors of embarrassment, suggesting that those who were sensitive to rejection and those who
were socially anxious were more likely to be embarrassed by an awkward situation than those
without these forms of anxiety. According to Cohen (1992), all findings are considered large
effect sizes.
Level ofAvoidance
Table 3 describes the results of hierarchical multiple regression assessing predictors of
average levels of avoidance for each subtype of embarrassing situation. The interaction between
SPAI score and condition for Fazrx Pas ( F (3, 124) = 2 . 6 9 , ~ = .339; R2= .082), Center of
Attention (F (4, 124) = 4.10, p = .950; R2= .120) and Sticky Situations (F (4,124) = 18.10, p =
.264; R2= ,376) subtypes were not significant.
There was a significant effect of rejection sensitivity for both the Center of Attention (F
(2,124) = 7.64, p = .009; R ~ = . I l l ) and Sticky Situation (F (2,124)= 35 .68 ,~ = .000; R ~ = -369)
subtypes. These findings suggest that those who were prone to rejection were more likely than
those without this concern to avoid future instances where they might be the focus of attention or
experience awkward situations. Lastly, a significant effect was found for socially anxious
participants, as they were more likely to avoid Sticky Situations ( F (2,124)= 35.68, p = .000; R ~ =
.369) than those who are not anxious. All effect sizes for avoidance were considered large
(Cohen, 1992).
Average Average Center of Average Sticky Faux Pas Attention Situation
Turner, S. M., Beidel, D. C., Dancu, C. V, & Stanley, M. A. (1989). An empirically derived
inventory to measure social fears and anxiety: The social phobia and anxiety inventory.
Psychological Assessment, I, 3 5-40.
Withers, L. A., & Sherblom, J. C. (2008). Embarrassment: The communication of an
awkward actor anticipating a negative evaluation. Human Communication, 11,241 -
260
Wenzel, A., Brendle, J.R., Kerr, P.L., Purath, D., & Ferraro, F.R. (2007). A Quantitative
estimate of schema abnormality in socially anxious and non-anxious individuals.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 36(4), 220-229.
Appendix A
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
1. Age:
2. Gender (please check one): Male: Female:
3. RaceIEthnic Background (please check all that apply):
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian or Pacific Islander
Black, not of Hispanic origin
White, not of Hispanic origin
Hispanic
Other (please specify)
4. Year in college (please check one): Freshman
Junior
Graduate
Sophomore
Senior
Other (please specify)
5. Academic field of study (please check the category that corresponds with your major. If you have more than one major, check each appropriate box)
Arts, Music, Performance (e.g. Music Theory, Fine Arts, Theater) Business Education Diplomacy Humanities (e.g. English, History, Foreign Language, Religious Studies) Nursing Physical and Natural ScienceIMathematics (e.g. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science) Social Science (e.g. Criminal Justice, Psychology, Sociology) Other (Please provide name of field of study ) Undecided
Appendix B
In-person Scenarios
Faux Pas
1) As a prospective student, I visited the dining hall of one of the schools I most wanted to attend. The person who had been escorting me around campus had a prior engagement, so I decided to eat lunch on my own. As I left the cafeteria line and walked into the large dining hall full of noisy college students, I slipped on some ketchup and fell backwards. My tray fell onto my shirt, covering it with food. The whole dining room was laughing as I left the room.
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
1 ----------------- 2 ----------------- 3 ----------------- 4 ----------------- 5 ----------------- 6 ----------------- 7 Not moderately extremely embarrassed embarrassed embarrassed at all
How likely would you be to avoid eating in the cafeteria in the future?
Not likely at all
unsure extremely likely
2) 1 was in the bookstore purchasing my books for the upcoming semester and listening to music through my iPod headphones, I walked out the door, but didn't hear the alarm system going off. I only realized something was wrong when I saw the manager was running after me as I left the store. Everyone watched as we walked back into the store. The manager checked through my bags and asked me if I had shoplifted.
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
How likely would you be to avoid going to the bookstore in the future?
Not likely at all
unsure extremely likely
Center of Attention
3) I took a creative writing class. We had a writing assignment each week. The first two weeks of the semester, the class handed the assignments in, and the instructor returned them with comments. But the third week of the course, he told us that the class would start critiquing each others papers. He then projected my paper on the screen and students in the class began to make suggestions and correct mistakes.
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
Not embarrassed at all
moderately embarrassed
extremely embarrassed
How likely would you be to avoid taking a class where other students critique your writing?
4) 1 went to a big campus party on Saturday night and had a lot to drink. As a result, I acted pretty wild, which was unusual for me. When I went to class on Monday morning, several classmates brought up the party and began talking about the crazy things I did.
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
Not embarrassed at all
moderately embarrassed
How likely would you be to avoid going to a campus party again'!
extremely embarrassed
Sticky Situations
5) While on line at the campus cafeteria, I was talking to my best friend about how much I like my project partner in my lab group. As I was describing why I like this person so much, my friend pointed behind me. My crush was standing right behind me.
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
Not embarrassed at all
moderately embarrassed
extremely embarrassed
How likely would you be to avoid your crush in the future?
6) Before class, I was talking to one of my friend's on the phone about our plans for the weekend. As the conversation was ending, I told my friend "I have to go now before my professor shows up. I really can't wait to finish this class, It's so boring." When I hung up, I noticed the professor was in the back of the room listening to the conversation. I hadn't noticed when she came in.
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
How likely would you be to avoid talking with your professor in the future?
Not likely at all
unsure extremely likely
Appendix C
Online Scenarios
FUZIX Pus
1) As a prospective student, I visited the dining hall of one of the schools I most wanted to attend. The person who had been escorting me around campus had a prior engagement, so I decided to eat lunch on my own. As I left the cafeteria line and walked into a small dining hall that was mostly empty besides a few students, I slipped on some spilled ketchup and fell backwards. My tray fell onto my shirt, covering it with food. I left the room. A few days later a friend sent me a YouTube link to the video of me falling.
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
Not embarrassed at all
moderately embarrassed
extremely embarrassed
How likely would you be to avoid eating in the cafeteria in the future?
2) I was one of the last customers in the bookstores purchasing my books for the upcoming semester and listening to music through my iPod headphones. I walked out the door, but didn't hear the alarm system going off. I only realized something was wrong when I saw the manager was running after me as I left the store. When we got back into the store, the manager checked through my bags and asked me if I had shoplifted. There were no other customers in the store, but the next day an acquaintance of mine who works at the bookstore wrote on my Facebook wall, "I heard my manager thought you shoplifted yesterday because you left the store with a book you didn't pay for!"
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
Not embarrassed at all
moderately embarrassed
extremely embarrassed
How likely would you be to avoid going to the bookstore in the future?
Not likely at all
unsure extremely likely
Center of Attention
3) I took an on-line creative writing class. We had a writing assignment each week. The first two weeks of the semester, we uploaded our assignments to Blackboard, and the instructor returned them with comments. But the third week of the course, he told us that the class would start critiquing each others' papers. He then posted my paper on the Discussion Board to be critiqued first. Everyone in the class posted suggestions and corrected mistakes on the Discussion Board.
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
How likely would you be to avoid taking a class where other students critique your writing?
Not likely at all
unsure extremely likely
4) I went to a big campus party on Saturday night and had a lot to drink. As a result, I acted pretty wild, which was unusual for me. On Monday morning, I logged onto Facebook and saw that one of my friends posted a video from the party, which showed me acting wild. Several people wrote comments about the crazy things I did.
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
Not embarrassed at all
moderately embarrassed
extremely embarrassed
How likely would you be to avoid going to a campus party again?
Not likely at all
unsure extremely likely
Sticky Situations
5) During my lunch break, I sent a text to my best friend about how much I like my project partner in my lab group. After I sent the message, I realized I had accidently chosen my crush's phone number instead of my friend's when I sent the text.
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
Not embarrassed at all
How likely would you be to a
moderately embarrassed
woid your crush in the future?
extremely embarrassed
Not likely at all
unsure extremely likely
6) Before class, I was sending several emails to a friend and my professor for the course. When it was almost time to begin class, I emailed my friend "I have to go now before my professor shows up. I really can't wait to finish this class. It's so boring." After I hit send, I realized I had accidently sent the email to my professor instead of my friend.
How embarrassed would you be if you were in this situation?
Not embarrassed at all
moderately embarrassed
extremely embarrassed
How likely would you be to avoid talking with your professor in the future?
Not likely at all
unsure extremely likely
Appendix D Rejection Sensitivity Questionnarie
Downey & Feldman, 1996
Each of the items below describes things college students sometimes ask of other people. Please imagine that you are in each situation. You will be asked to answer the following questions:
1) How concerned or anxious would you be about how the other person would respond?
2) How do you think the other person would be likely to respond?
1. You ask someone in class if you can borrow hislher notes.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not the person would want to lend you hislher notes? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that the person would willingly give me very unlikely very likely hislher notes. 1 2 3 4 5 6
2. You ask your boyfriendlgirlfriend to move in with you.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not the person would want to move in with you? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that heishe would want to move in with me.
very unlikely very likely 1 . 2 3 4 5 6
3. You ask your parents for help in deciding what programs to apply to.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your parents would want to help you? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that they would want to help me.
4. You ask someone you don't know well out on a date.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether or not the person would want to go out with you?
very ulilikely very likely 1 2 3 4 5 6
very unconcerned very concerned 1 . 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that the person would want to go out with very unlikely very likely me. 1 2 3 4 5 6
5. Your boyfriendlgirlfriend has plans to go out with friends tonight, but you really want to spend the evening with himlher, and you tell himher so.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your boyfriendlgirlfriend would decide to stay in? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that the person would willingly choose very .unlikely very likely to stay in. 1 2 3 4 5 6
6. You ask your parents for extra money to cover living expenses.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether or not your parents would help you out?
very unconcerned very concerned 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that my parents would not mind helping very unlikely very likely me out. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Appendix D Rejection Sensitivity Questionnarie
Downey & Feldman, 1996
7. After class, you tell your professor that you have been having some trouble with a section of the course and ask if helshe can give you some extra help.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your professor would want to help you out? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that my professor would want to help very unlikely very likely me out. 1 2 3 4 5 6
8. You approach a close friend to talk after doing or saying something that seriously upset himlher.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your friend would want to talk with you? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that hetshe would want to talk with me very unlikely very likely to try to work things out. 1 2 3 4 5 6
9. You ask someone in one of your classes to coffee.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not the person would want to go? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that the person would want to go with me.
'very unlikely very likely 1 2 3 4 5 6
10. After graduation, you can't find a job and ask your parents if you can live at home for a while.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your parents would want you to come home? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect I would be welcome at home. very unlikely very likely 1 2 3 4 5 6
11. You ask your friend to go on a vacation with you over Spring Break.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your friend would want to go with you? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that he/she would want to go with me. very unlikely very likely 1 2 3 4 5 6
12. You call your boyfriendlgirlfriend after a bitter argument and tell himlher you want to see himlher.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your boyfriendlgirlfriend would want to see you? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that helshe would want to see me. very unlikely very likely 1 2 3 4 5 6
13. You ask a friend if you can borrow something of hislhers.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your friend would want to loan it to you? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that he/she would willingly loan me it. very unlikely very likely 1 2 3 4 5 6
Appendix D Rejection Sensitivity Questionnarie
Downey & Feldman, 1996
14. You ask your parents to come to an occasion important to you.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your parents would want to come? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that my parents would want to come. very unlikely very likely 1 2 3 4 5 6
15. You ask a friend to do you a big favor.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your friend would do this favor? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that heishe would willingly do very unlikely very likely this favor for me. 1 2 3 4 5 6
16. You ask your boyfriendlgirlfriend if heishe really loves you.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your boyfriendlgirlfriend would say yes? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that heishe would answer yes sincerely. very unlikely very likely 1 2 3 4 5 6
17. You go to a party and notice someone on the other side of the room and then you ask them to dance.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not the person would want to dance with you? 1 2 3 4 5 6
I would expect that helshe would want to dance with me. very unlikely very likely 1 2 3 4 5 6
18. You ask your boyfriendlgirlfriend to come home to meet your parents.
How concerned or anxious would you be over whether very unconcerned very concerned or not your boyfriendlgirlfriend would want to meet 1 2 3 4 5 6 your parents?
I would expect that helshe would want to meet my parents.
very unlikely very likely 1 2 3 4 5 6
vsr ; . -,, Appendix E ..?..-*+ ...-
, . . Social Phobia & Anxiety Inventory
I $qen~e use the ncale list& ~pposite m d circle the number which b a t &xts how frequently'you experience these responses,
I "' O O C s . . ; , . ......................................+... . . . . 0 i 2 3 4 5 6 1