Three experiments involving college students and young people showed that keeping cameras on during online classes increased anxiety about social appearance and decreased learning. Participants who had the opportunity to see themselves on screen reported even higher anxiety about social appearances. This research Applied Cognitive Psychology.
In early 2020, lockdowns were initiated in many countries to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Schools were closed and it became necessary to find ways to resume educational activities in these new circumstances. The need for interaction between students and teachers, above all, was in stark contrast to the need to maintain physical distancing from others to prevent the spread of respiratory disease, COVID-19. Online video platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams seemed like ideal solutions.
A unique feature of these new online learning platforms, however, is the ability to see yourself on screen during lectures using a video camera and self-view option. This option may increase students’ social appearance anxiety. In other words, the fear of not liking the way you look.
During face-to-face lectures, students typically focus on the lecturer. Students are usually engaged with each other when the instructor is not lecturing. Although they may be aware that others are looking at them, students are rarely able to see how others are looking at them. Self-view is usually on by default (that is, showing a picture of yourself captured by the camera). Additionally, interacting with other students during a lecture pause is not possible without starting another session. Meanwhile, the Self-View Her option allows students to continuously examine their appearance, hair, and other aspects of their appearance.
Study author Ingrid S. Tien and her colleagues wanted to test whether students who left cameras on during lectures reported greater anxiety. “I was an undergraduate at the time, and as a result of the pandemic, I had to use Zoom for eight to 10 hours a day. She explains Tien. She holds a PhD in Human Development and Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
“I’ve also invested in the literature on body image dissatisfaction and appearance insecurities, from very trivial appearance reminders (such as a small mirror on my desk) to most of the time, their appearance.” After discussions with our live mentor, Megan Imundo, we decided to turn our attention to an experimental investigation of the effects of appearance anxiety on learning.”
Tien and her colleagues conducted three experiments.
In the first experiment, 171 undergraduate students (120 women) participated in a 15-minute online lecture on Russian fairy tales. They were randomly assigned to turn the camera on or off during the lecture. After the lecture, participants were instructed to turn off the camera and complete an anxiety assessment (State Trait Anxiety Inventory) and a test to determine their memory of the lecture. They also rated their general day-to-day anxiety and made judgments about how much they learned in lectures and their online learning experience. Participants performed this procedure in her groups of 8–10.
The second experiment was the same as the first, with the difference that the groups were 30 to 40 participants. A total of 124 people participated in the second experiment.
In a third experiment, the researchers asked whether the observed effect was the result of just turning on the camera or of the self-view option, i.e. even if the camera was turned on, a picture of oneself was displayed on the screen. I wanted to investigate what happens when it’s not visible. Make a difference. The researchers randomly assigned 224 participants to one of three conditions: camera off, camera on and no self-view, camera on and self-view. Participants completed procedures similar to previous experiments in groups of 10 to her 25 people. We then completed the social appearance anxiety assessment.
The authors of the study conducted statistical analyzes to test the hypothesis that whether the camera was on or off during a lecture affected student anxiety, which in turn affected knowledge test scores (lecture about). Results showed no such effect. Student anxiety was unaffected by camera on/off and did not affect knowledge test scores.There was also no association between anxiety and test scores. The results of the second experiment were the same. However, these two experiments assessed general anxiety.
A third experiment showed that viewing conditions, whether students had their cameras off or on, influenced social appearance anxiety. A statistical model indicated that social appearance anxiety mediated knowledge test performance. Higher levels of social appearance anxiety were associated with lower knowledge test scores. This effect was seen regardless of whether the self-view option was on or off. However, the effect on social appearance anxiety was greater when the self-view option was on.
In other words, in this study, we found that viewing conditions indirectly affected test performance due to appearance anxiety. The camera on/self view on condition had a greater negative effect on learning than the camera on/self view off condition. This is due to the increased anxiety levels.
“It’s very effective to take stress and anxiety out of the general form of Zoom,” Tien told PsyPost. Use the ‘Hide Self View’ feature to prevent the effects of appearance anxiety. ”
The researchers found no evidence that the results differed by gender.
“Considering the large body of literature citing high rates of anxiety about appearance among self-identified women, it is very surprising that there was no significant gender difference,” said Tien. “This means, to me, that everyone is affected by Zoom’s appearance anxiety and the accompanying Zoom Fatigue.”
This study provides valuable insight into the psychological dynamics of online teaching sessions. However, there are also limitations that need to be taken into account. Of note, all participants were students, most of whom were women. Additionally, experiments were conducted in settings and groups that were novel to the students and in topics that were not part of the regular curriculum. The effect may not last long as the student becomes familiar with the group and class content.
“This study was conducted during the peak of the pandemic, or what others call the ‘COVID year,’ the 2020-2021 school year,” Tien said. The long-term effects of Zoom fatigue and appearance anxiety, and their implications for the course as a whole, will need to be considered now, years after the start of the pandemic.”
the study, “Seeing yourself during synchronous online learning increases appearance anxiety and reduces lecture content memorywas written by Ingrid S. Tien, Megan N. Imundo and Elizabeth Ligon Bjork.
