Testing the three-way interaction effect of intrinsic alertness, orienting, and executive function on social anxiety

Lower executive attention is expected to be associated with higher social anxiety. However, previous studies have reported inconsistent results. This study examines how the interaction of intrinsic alertness, orienting, and executive attention are associated with social anxiety. A total of 100 participants completed the Attention Network Test and Japanese version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed the three-way interaction effect of intrinsic alertness, orienting, and executive attention on social anxiety. Lower executive attention was associated with higher social anxiety when intrinsic alertness was at a high level and orienting was at a low level. These results indicate that when examining the relationship between executive attention and social anxiety, we need to consider intrinsic alertness and orienting.