Abstract: The aim of this paper is to review the concept, classifications, measurements, influencing factors and treatments of communication apprehension (CA) in order to gain insight into the researches of communication apprehension overseas and its development in China. Scholars from home and abroad carry much work on the study of communication apprehension. McCroskey, an American scholar who is the first to use CA in a publication, classifies communication apprehension and develops Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA) to investigate communication apprehension. His studies raise great interest of research in the communication field and a great many researchers study the causes and development, measurements, and treatments of CA. Gradually, researchers from other countries, as well as American researchers are conducting indigenous studies of CA. Many researches of CA in China focus on university students. Meanwhile, a Chinese psychologist put forward a new concept named facing-audience communication apprehension (FACA) in 2007, FACA include 4 aspects, and they are platform apprehension, interview apprehension, affairs-handling apprehension, and group-within and outside-campus communication apprehension. In 2011, the Chinese University Student’s Facing-Audience Communication Apprehension Scale was developed to investigate Chinese university students’ FACA, which provides a new insight into the psychological health of Chinese university students. Researchers find that the phenomenon of CA was common among people, and people with high CA are handicapped by their CA in studying, working and living. Some researchers study the causes of CA and propose their theories. They seem to agree the four main causes of CA are reinforcement, lack of skills training or acquisition, modeling, and genetic predispositions. Meanwhile, other researchers also find some major elements in the situation that can result in increased CA, such as novelty, formality, subordinate status, conspicuousness, unfamiliarity, dissimilarity, degree of attention from others and so forth. The study of FACA found university students’ gender, grade, major, seniority among brothers and sisters, family’s financial situation and parents’ education degree are the main influencing factors of why they get FACA. The existing conditions of CA and FACA review demonstrate the need for continued research in CA filed. Since causes and development of CA have been widely studied and agreed upon, and reliable measurement instruments have been designed and tested. In the following study, researchers should focus on the treatment of CA, and apply the right theory into practice. The three most frequently used methods for treating CA are skills training, systematic desensitization, and cognitive modification. Along with the development of research, studies find methods like collaborative learning, digital video technology, and group treatment can decrease the degree of CA efficiently. In addition to methods mentioned above researchers put forward a new approach according to Chinese national condition, that is counselors, teachers, the student union and Party and Youth League organizations in universities should play a full part in reducing university students’ FACA. In conclusion, studies about CA at home and abroad mostly focus on university students, other people especially the children and adolescents as well as the diversity of research method should be taken into account. Meanwhile, study will be more meaningful if the research achievements of CA and FACA would be applied to practical problems.

Key words: communication apprehension, facing-audience communication apprehension, platform apprehension, interview apprehension, affairs-handling apprehension, group-within and outside-campus communication apprehension

摘要： 美国学者McCroskey最早使用交流恐惧这一概念并编制了交流恐惧自陈量表等调研工具，此后有研究者对交流恐惧进行本土化研究。国外学者对交流恐惧产生的原因作了多方面的分析探讨和干预研究；中国学者对交流恐惧的研究主要以大学生为研究对象，在2007年发展了面众恐惧研究，编制了《中国大学生面众恐惧调查量表》并提出了相应矫治对策，给大学生乃至中小学生的心理素质与心理健康教育提供了一条密切联系实际的培养训练途径。

关键词: 交流恐惧, 面众恐惧, 上台恐惧, 面试恐惧, 团组与校外交流恐惧, 办事恐惧