A functional interview for investigating behavioral contingencies relevant to Social Anxiety Disorder

Iêgo, Sandro; Ribeiro, Maria Júlia Ferreira Xavier

doi:10.1590/1982-0275202542e220114

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THEORETICAL ARTICLE - Psychological Assessment • Estud. psicol. 42 • 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0275202542e220114 linkcopy

A functional interview for investigating behavioral contingencies relevant to Social Anxiety Disorder

Uma entrevista funcional para investigação clínica de contingências comportamentais relevantes no Transtorno de Ansiedade Social

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Objective This study aims to propose a Functional Interview designed to investigate behavioral contingencies that characterize patterns of socially anxious behavior related to Social Anxiety Disorder.

Method The Functional Interview for Social Anxiety is a semi-structured interview designed to identify behavioral episodes characteristic of socially anxious behavior.

Results It consists of 18 questions distributed across seven sections, intended to comprehensively identify all behavioral elements (antecedents, responses, and consequences) that correspond to the five proposed functional criteria (behavioral contingencies) associated with socially anxious behavior. The Functional Interview for Social Anxiety can assist both psychologists and psychiatrists in recognizing patterns of socially anxious behavior through the investigation of information relevant to these functional criteria.

Conclusion It is an instrument that makes the functional investigation of socially anxious behavior feasible in clinical contexts, aiding in the understanding of this behavioral phenomenon using a functional model of behavior.

Keywords
Behavior and behavior mechanisms; Psychological interview; Social anxiety disorder; Social behavior

Functional Criterion	Defining Characteristic of the Criterion	Contingency Criterion
Functional Criterion	Defining Characteristic of the Criterion	Antecedent Term	Response Term	Consequence Term
CF1	Two-Term Contingency with the Response of Experiencing Fear/Anxiety in Social Interactions	S₁ Conditioned Aversive Stimulus: ‘social situations’	R₁ Both overt and covert conditioned reflex responses of ‘fear and anxiety’
CF2	Three-Term Contingency with the Response of Avoiding Showing symptoms in Social Interactions	S₁ Stimulus: ‘social situations’, which function as pre-aversive stimuli	R₂ Both overt and covert operant responses of “avoiding showing anxiety symptoms,” which function as an escape/avoidance response	C_1x Prevention of the presentation of aversive stimulus: “possibility of negative evaluation by others”
CF3	Three-Term Contingency with the Response of Avoiding (avoidable) Social Situations	S₂ Any warning stimulus that signals the presentation of the stimulus “ avoidable social situations ”	R₃ Both overt and covert operant responses of “avoiding the social situation,” which function as avoidance responses	S_1x Postponement or deletion of the presentation of the aversive stimulus ‘social situation’* C_1x Prevention of the presentation of aversive stimulus: “possibility of negative evaluation by others” C₂ Event involving the presentation/termination of stimuli that comprise the aversive condition ‘functional impairments’^**
CF4	Three-Term Contingency with the Response of Enduring Social Situations	S₁ The stimulus “social situations,” which function both as conditioned aversive stimuli and pre-aversive stimuli	R₁ Both overt and covert conditioned reflex responses of fear and anxiety R₂ Both overt and covert operant responses of avoiding showing symptoms of anxiety, which function as an escape/avoidance response R₄ Both overt and covert operant responses related to enduring the social situation, which function as an avoidance response	C_2x Postponement or deletion of the potential event ‘functional impairments’** C₁ Possibility of presentation the event ‘negative evaluations by others’, which functions as an aversive stimulus
CF5	Three-Term Contingency with the Response of Escaping Social Situations	S₁ Conditioned aversive stimulus “ social situations ”	R₅ Both overt and covert operant responses with the function of escaping the social situation	S_1x Termination of the aversive stimulus ‘social situation’^* C_1x Termination of the possibility of the presentation of the aversive stimulus ‘negative evaluation by others’ C₂ Possibility of functional impairments, which functions as an aversive stimulus^**

FISA Section	Objective of the Section	FISA Questions	Element of the Contingency Criterion Investigated	Functional Criterion Investigated	DSM-5 Criterion
I	Identification of R₁ Conditioned Reflex Responses in Social Situations	#1 #2 #3	R₁ (Both overt and covert Public and private responses of Fear/Anxiety in social situations)	CF1. Contingency with the Response of Experiencing Fear/Anxiety in Social Interactions	A. E. F. I. J.
II	Identification of C₁ Aversive Social Consequences.	#4 #5 #6	C₁ (Environmental factors that represent the consequence of potential negative evaluation by others in social situations)	CF2. Contingency with the Response of Avoiding Showing Symptoms of Anxiety in Social Interactions CF3. Contingency with the Response of Avoiding Avoidable Social Situations¹ CF4. Contingency with the Response of Enduring Social Situations. CF5. Contingency with the Response of Escaping from Social Situations¹	B.
III	Identification of C₂ Consequences Related to Impairments and Distress	#7 #8	C₂ (Events related to potential losses or impairments in social, professional, or other areas of life resulting from socially anxious behavior)	CF3. Contingency with the Response of Avoiding Avoidable Social Situations¹ CF4. Contingency with the Response of Enduring Social Situations² CF5. Contingency with the Response of Escaping from Social Situations¹	G.
IV	Identification of S₁ Social Situations that Elicit Fear and Anxiety Responses	#9	S₁ (Social situations implying the possibility of evaluation by others)	CF1. Contingency with the Response of Experiencing Fear/Anxiety in Social Interactions. CF2. Contingency with the Response of Avoiding Showing Symptoms of Anxiety in Social Interactions CF3. Contingency with the Response of Avoiding Avoidable Social Situations	A. C.
V	Identification of R₃ Avoidance Responses to Social Situations in the Presence of a Warning Stimulus [S₂]	#10 #11 #12 #13	R₃ (Avoidance response to avoidable social situations)	CF3. Contingency with the Response of Avoiding Avoidable Social Situations	D.
VI	Identification of R₅ Escape Responses in Social Situations	#14 #15 #16	R₅ (Escape Responses in Social Situations)	CF5. Contingency with the Response of Escaping from Social Situations	D.
VII	Identification of R₂ Escape or Avoidance Responses to Avoid Showing Symptoms of Anxiety	#17 #18	R₂ (Response of avoiding showing symptoms of anxiety)	CF2. Contingency with the Response of Avoiding Showing Symptoms of Anxiety in Social Interactions	B.

functional criteria contingency with a response of :	Behavioral Episode (Contingency Criterion)
functional criteria contingency with a response of :	Contextual situation	Socially anxious behaviors	Results produced by behavior
CF1. Experiencing Fear/Anxiety in Social Interactions	Antecedent S₁ Situations described in Question #9 (Section IV)	Response R₁ Behaviors described in Question #2 (Section I)	- - - - - - - -
CF2. Avoiding Showing Symptoms of Anxiety in Social Interactions	Antecedent S₁ Situations described in Question #9 (Section IV)	Response R₂ Behaviors described in Question #17 (Section VII)	Consequence S₁ Events prevented as described in Question #4 (Section II)
CF3. Avoiding Avoidable Social Situations	Antecedent S₂ Questions #11 and #13 (Section V)	Response R₃ Behaviors described in Question #10 (Section V)	Consequence S_1x Events prevented as described in Question #9 (Section IV) Consequence C_1x Events prevented as described in Question #4 (Section II) Consequence C₂ Impairments described in Question #8 (Section IV)
CF4. Enduring Social Situations	Antecedent S₁ Situations described in Question #9 (Section IV)	Response R₄ Behaviors described in Questions #14_PAX and 16 (Section VI) Response R₁ Behaviors described in Question #2 (Section I) Response R₂ Behaviors described in Question #17 (Section VII)	Consequence C_1x Events prevented as described in Question #4 (Section II) Consequence C_2x Prevention of Impairments described in Question #8 (Section III)
CF5. Escaping Social Situations	Antecedent S₁ Situations described in Question #9 (Section IV)	Response R₅ Behaviors described in Questions #14 and 15 (Section VI)	Consequence S_1x Events prevented as described in Question #9 (Section IV) Consequence C_1x Events prevented as described in Question #4 (Section II) Consequence C₂ Impairments described in Question #8 (Section IV)

DSM-5 Criterion for SAD	FISA Section
DSM-5 Criterion for SAD	Section I	Section II	Section III	Section IV	Section V	Section VI	Section VII
Criterion A	#1-2	-	-	#9	-	-	-
Criterion B	-	#4-6	-	-	-	-	#17-18
Criterion C	#2	-	-	#9	-	-	-
Criterion D	-	#4-6	-	#9	#10-13	-	-
Criterion E	#3	-	-	-	-	-	-
Criterion F	#2	-	-	-	-	-	-
Criterion G	-	#4-6	#7-8	-	#10	#14-16	-
Criterion H	#3	-	-	-	-	-	-
Criterion I	#3	-	-	-	-	-	-
Criterion J	#3	-	-	-	-	-	-

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Programa de Pós-Graduação em Psicologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas Editora Splendet, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas, Campus I, Rua Prof. Dr. Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini, 1516, Pq. Rural Fazenda Santa Cândida, Telefone: (55 19) 3343-7223. - Campinas - SP - Brazil
E-mail: psychologicalstudies@puc-campinas.edu.br

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[1] Note:

[TFN01] ^*
Immediate consequence;

[TFN02] ^**
Delayed consequence.