This randomized, single-blind trial tests whether one session of interpretation bias modification reduces immediate social-evaluative anxiety and shifts interpretation bias in Pakistani university students aged 18 to 25 years with elevated social anxiety. Participants are assigned to either feedback-contingent interpretation bias modification or a structurally matched interpretation control condition. Primary and secondary outcomes are assessed before and after the intervention session using short-form state-trait anxiety measures and Word-Sentence Association Paradigm endorsement indices.

Social anxiety in young adults is maintained in part by a tendency to interpret ambiguous social information as threatening. The study evaluates a behavioral interpretation training procedure delivered with OpenSesame, using trial-by-trial responses to ambiguous social sentences preceded by threat or benign prime words. In the experimental arm, feedback contingently reinforces benign endorsements and threat rejections. In the control arm, exposure and timing are matched but feedback is noncontingent and presented on half of trials. The design is a parallel two-arm randomized pretest-posttest trial with participant masking to assignment. Assessment includes the 5-item state and 5-item trait short-form State-Trait Anxiety Inventory totals and Word-Sentence Association Paradigm threat and benign endorsement proportions. The mechanistic hypothesis is that feedback-consistent learning increases benign interpretations and reduces threat interpretations, which is associated with lower post-session state anxiety. The trial was conducted as part of a PhD thesis at the University of Gujrat under formal institutional approvals.

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 18 to 25 years
• Social Phobia Inventory score greater than 19
• at least moderate severity on the DSM-5-TR Severity Measure for Social Anxiety Disorder-Adult
• able to read study materials
• provides written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• clinically elevated depressive symptoms on Beck Depression Inventory-II at or above prespecified cutoff [above 16]
• clinically elevated general anxiety symptoms on the Beck Anxiety Inventory at or above prespecified cutoff [ above 20]
• current medical or psychiatric condition likely to interfere with safe or valid participation
• prior participation in this trial.

Individual participant data are not available at this stage because the trial is ongoing and data collection is not complete. After study completion, data cleaning, and primary reporting, the team will determine whether de-identified individual participant data can be shared in line with institutional approvals, participant consent, and applicable regulations.

Supporting documents will be considered for release after final study completion and primary thesis/manuscript reporting. The exact release start date and duration have not yet been finalized and will be updated in the registry record after completion.

Access procedures are not yet finalized. Any future sharing will be limited to de-identified materials and will require a reasonable scientific request, ethical use, and institutional approval as applicable. Final criteria will be added after study completion.

Participants are unaware of arm assignment.