SOCIAL PERCEPTION AND ANXIETY IN NIGERIAN AND BRITISH STUDENTS

Abstract

The thesis reports a cross cultural study investigating some aspects of anxiety and social perception in British and Nigerian students. Five main questions were considered: 1. The level of social perception in both groups. 2. The level of anxiety in both groups.3. The relationship between anxiety and social perception. The level of social perception and anxiety in the Nigerians as compared with a 'more favored' foreign student group, viz the Australians. The levels of social perception and anxiety within the Nigerian group. Method Social perception is generally defined as every manner of social awareness of the Other. The area of 'awareness' understudy in the present research involved specific opinions previously established as characteristics of the two groups. In measuring social perception, a more inclusive score was derived in place of the usual 'accuracy' score. This new score considered the 'inaccuracies' as well as the accuracies in a formula that gave credit to a willingness to suspend judgement in predicting the response of the Other. The Anxiety level was measured by the Cattell IPAT Anxiety Scale. This test measures Cattell's factorially independent anxiety response pattern, by combining five personality components that were found to be significantly related to the pattern.