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Real Effects of the Imaginary Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How often do teenagers express embarrassment when they think “everyone” is watching them? Our newest study aims to investigate the idea of the imaginary audience, a phenomenon that causes adolescents to believe they are constantly viewed and judged by others (most often in the form of peers). We will employ both behavioral measures and MR brain imaging techniques to examine adolescents' sensitivities to the imaginary audience, and the effects of such sensitivities on decision-making abilities. We hope to delineate the behavioral and brain-based characteristics describing adolescents who are relatively more and less sensitive to the presence of an imaginary audience. Does the belief that “everyone” is paying attention to what one does alter how teens make decisions? Stay tuned as we begin testing subjects in the fall of 2005! |
