In our research project, we aim to test the use of a digital tool, the Simulated Interaction Task (SIT; Drimalla et al., 2020), in the diagnosis of social anxiety disorder in childhood. Social anxiety disorder is characterized by fear of social situations. The SIT simulates a social situation using video dialogue and evaluates biomarkers such as facial expressions, gaze behavior, and voice characteristics in an automated manner. Quantification of biomarkers using the SIT could contribute to an improved understanding of childhood social anxiety disorder and increased diagnostic reliability. After reviewing the literature and developing hypotheses, our research group will create a child version of the SIT and pilot it in a sample of children between the ages of 9 and 14. Finally, the results will be prepared as a poster and discussed in the seminar.

Contact: nadine.vietmeier@hu-berlin.de