Fig. 1

Evaluative Generalization in Social Anxiety: An Integrated Theoretical Model. This theoretical model proposes Bivalent Fear of Evaluation (BFOE) as a core construct, encompassing both negative and positive evaluation fears. The model integrates three primary components and their hypothesized interactions: The cognitive processing component, with its attention and interpretation biases, potentially enhances BFOE; The conditioning component, where neutral faces serve as conditioned/generalized stimuli (CS/GS) and evaluations as unconditioned stimuli (US), may reinforce BFOE. Between these components, a bidirectional “bias generation” mechanism suggests that cognitive biases influence conditioning processes, while learning experiences modulate cognitive biases. The proposed maintenance mechanism at the model’s center indicates how BFOE, cognitive processing, and conditioning might maintain social anxiety symptoms through their reciprocal interactions.