Effects of Audience Anxiety on Pupil Size

ABSTRACT Pupillary activity was continually monitored while 28 female Ss performed a short‐term memory task and a digit‐transformation task. The Ss were selected according to their scores on the Audience Sensitivity Inventory (ASI) and the Otis Quick‐Scoring Mental Ability Test (IQ), so as to yield four groups: low ASI and high ASI (equated on IQ); and low IQ and high IQ (equated on ASI). Results showed significantly more pupillary dilation to the transformation than to the memory task for all groups and this finding was consistent with previous studies. There were no main effects nor interactions involving IQ groups. The effects involving audience anxiety were specific, that is, a larger pupil size occurred in the high ASI group than in the low ASI group. In addition, there was a decrease in pupil size in the low ASI group prior to repeating the digits, but no such decrease occurred in the high ASI group. These findings were interpreted in terms of anxiety related to apprehension about evaluation.