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Interaction Anxiousness Scale
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About Interaction Anxiousness Scale
Scale Name
Interaction Anxiousness Scale
Author Details
Mark R. Leary
Translation Availability
Not Sure
Background/Description
The Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS) is a self-report inventory that measures the tendency to feel anxious in social situations that involve contingent interactions, that is, situations where one’s responses depend on the feedback from others. The IAS was developed by Mark R. Leary in 1983 and has been validated in different languages and populations.
The IAS consists of 15 items that describe subjective feelings of anxiety, nervousness, or discomfort in various social scenarios, such as talking to a teacher, a person of the opposite sex, or a stranger on the phone. The items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (not at all characteristic of me) to 5 (extremely characteristic of me). The total score is obtained by summing up the ratings of all items, with higher scores indicating higher levels of interaction anxiety.
The IAS is different from other measures of social anxiety, such as the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS), which assesses anxiety in both contingent and non-contingent interactions, such as speaking in public. The IAS focuses on the subjective or affective component of social anxiety, rather than the behavioral or cognitive components. The IAS is suitable for measuring general social anxiousness, but not for measuring specific aspects of social anxiety or other types of anxiety.
The IAS was created to separate “social anxiousness” (the proneness to experience anxious feelings in social situations) from behavioral reactions of social anxiety (e.g., avoidance of social situations, reluctance to participate in social situations, inhibition in verbal behaviors, gestures or movements).
The IAS assumes that, although both components (subjective and overt behavioral) of social anxiety are often associated, there is no necessary a direct relationship between them. Therefore, the IAS is an instrument suitable for measuring the subjective components of social anxiety experienced in contingent interactions, but it is not an instrument appropriate for measuring the overt behaviors of social anxiety or other components of social anxiety (e.g., cognitive and physiological components), or for measuring social anxiety in non-contingent interactions (e.g., speaking in public) or in more specific anxiety-provoking social situations (e.g., intimate relationships).
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
To administer the Interaction Anxiousness Scale, the following steps should be taken:
- Provide the respondent with a copy of the IAS and explain the instructions. The instructions should explain that the respondent should rate how characteristic each item is of them on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being “not at all characteristic” and 5 being “extremely characteristic.”
- Allow the respondent to complete the IAS at their own pace. There is no time limit for completing the IAS.
- Once the respondent has completed the IAS, collect the form and score it. The total score on the IAS is calculated by summing the responses to all 15 items. Higher scores indicate higher levels of interaction anxiousness.
Reliability and Validity
Interaction Anxiousness Scale has high reliability and validity as a measure of interaction anxiety. Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of a measure, while validity refers to the extent to which a measure assesses what it intends to measure. Some of the evidence for the reliability and validity of the IAS are:
- The Interaction Anxiousness Scale has high test-retest reliability, which means that it produces similar scores when administered to the same individuals at different times. Leary and Kowalski (1993) reported that the test-retest correlation of the IAS over a 4-week period was 0.852.
- The IAS has high internal reliability, which means that the items of the scale are coherent and measure the same construct. Leary and Kowalski (1993) reported that the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the IAS was 0.862, indicating a high degree of internal consistency.
- The Interaction Anxiousness Scale has convergent validity, which means that it correlates well with other measures of social anxiety or related constructs. Leary and Kowalski (1993) reported that the IAS correlated significantly with other self-report measures of social anxiety, such as the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS), the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI), and the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (FNE). The IAS also correlated with measures of anxiety and interpersonal concern in actual interactions, such as heart rate, self-reported anxiety, self-reported performance, and observer ratings.
- The IAS has discriminant validity, which means that it does not correlate with measures of unrelated constructs. Leary and Kowalski (1993) reported that the IAS had low or nonsignificant correlations with measures of general anxiety, such as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and measures of personality traits, such as extraversion, neuroticism, and self-esteem.
Available Versions
15-Items
Reference
Leary, M. R., & Kowalski, R. M. (1993). The Interaction Anxiousness Scale: Construct and criterion-related validity. Journal of Personality Assessment, 61(1), 136–146. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa6101_10
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Interaction Anxiousness Scale?
The IAS is a self-report measure of dispositional social anxiety, that is, the tendency to feel anxious in social situations that involve contingent interactions, where one’s responses depend on the feedback from others.
Who developed the Interaction Anxiousness Scale and when?
The IAS was developed by Mark R. Leary, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, in 1983.
How many items does the IAS have and how are they rated?
The IAS has 15 items that describe subjective feelings of anxiety, nervousness, or discomfort in various social scenarios, such as talking to a teacher, a person of the opposite sex, or a stranger on the phone. The items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (not at all characteristic of me) to 5 (extremely characteristic of me). The total score is obtained by summing up the ratings of all items, with higher scores indicating higher levels of interaction anxiety.
What is the difference between the IAS and other measures of social anxiety?
The IAS is different from other measures of social anxiety, such as the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS), which assesses anxiety in both contingent and non-contingent interactions, such as speaking in public. The IAS focuses on the subjective or affective component of social anxiety, rather than the behavioral or cognitive components. The IAS is suitable for measuring general social anxiousness, but not for measuring specific aspects of social anxiety or other types of anxiety.
How reliable and valid is the Interaction Anxiousness Scale?
The IAS has high reliability and validity as a measure of interaction anxiety. Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of a measure, while validity refers to the extent to which a measure assesses what it intends to measure. The IAS has high test-retest reliability, internal reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity.
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