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Louis A. Schmidt - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Adaptive Shyness: A Developmental Perspective
Adaptive Shyness, 2020Co-Authors: Kristie L. Poole, Louis A. SchmidtAbstract:One common perception is that Shyness is an inherently problematic trait that lays the developmental foundation of psychosocial maladjustment. However, not all shy individuals are alike, nor are all shy individuals at risk for poor developmental outcomes. In the current chapter, we discuss heterogeneous subtypes of Shyness. We place a particular emphasis on the adaptive subtype of positive Shyness, which is characterized by the expression of shy behavior (e.g., gaze aversion, avoidance) in conjunction with positive affect (e.g., smiling). We review theoretical and empirical evidence suggesting that positive Shyness may be an adaptive phenotype that helps the shy individual modulate arousal in social situations and helps to facilitate social approach through signaling of social interest, interpersonal trust, and appeasement, which ultimately may protect the shy individual from psychosocial maladjustment. We then propose a hypothetical model to describe the development and maintenance of adaptive and nonadaptive subtypes of Shyness. We conclude with suggestions for future research that may help to further our understanding of different Shyness subtypes and how they may relate to adaptive and nonadaptive outcomes across development.
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Shyness and Sociability Revisited
Adaptive Shyness, 2020Co-Authors: Kristie L. Poole, Louis A. SchmidtAbstract:Contrary to popular belief, the personality traits of Shyness and sociability are not merely opposite ends of the same dimension. Over three decades ago, Cheek and Buss (Shyness and sociability. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41, 330–339, 1981) noted that Shyness and sociability were conceptually and empirically independent traits. Since then, a number of studies have replicated their initial findings and shown that Shyness and sociability are indeed independent personality traits, each with distinct correlates across development. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the conceptual model proposed by Cheek and Buss (1981) and illustrate how Shyness and sociability act as a heuristic for assessing avoidance and approach motivation, respectively. Given the relative independence of Shyness and sociability, we can examine their interaction to yield four distinct social profiles: sociable (low Shyness, high sociability), unsociable (low Shyness, low sociability), avoidant shy (high Shyness, low sociability), and conflicted shy (high Shyness, high sociability). We then review empirical work since the original model proposed by Cheek and Buss that has illustrated distinct behavioral, physiological, and cognitive correlates of these resulting subtypes, as well as the developmental trajectories of Shyness and sociability and comment on some of the benefits of Shyness and costs of sociability. Considering Shyness and sociability as independent traits may further our understanding of the different reasons for multiple types of social withdrawal observed across the lifespan and the adaptive and maladaptive outcomes associated with each trait.
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Trajectories of Observed Shyness and Psychosocial Adjustment in Children
Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 2020Co-Authors: Kristie L. Poole, Charles E. Cunningham, Louis A. SchmidtAbstract:Shyness can manifest as inhibition, fear, and avoidance in the context of social novelty and situations of perceived social evaluation. In the present study, 130 children ( M _age = 7.6 years, SD = 1.8) participated in a videotaped self-presentation task across three separate visits spanning approximately 3 years in early and middle childhood. Children’s observed Shyness was best characterized by two trajectories, including a high-stable class (19%) and a low-stable class (81%). Girls were more likely than boys to follow a pattern of high-stable observed Shyness. Further, children in the high-stable observed Shyness class were rated by parents and teachers as more socially anxious relative to children in the low-stable class, and boys in the high-stable observed Shyness class were rated by their teachers as displaying more depressive symptoms relative to girls. These findings suggest that a subset of children display stable behavioral Shyness, and this is correlated with psychosocial functioning.
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Shyness, aggression, and empathy in children of shy mothers: Moderating influence of children's psychophysiological self-regulation
Developmental Psychobiology, 2019Co-Authors: Taigan L. Macgowan, Louis A. SchmidtAbstract:: Maternal psychological factors are known to play a critical role in children's socioemotional development, particularly in pro- and anti-social behaviors. Although Shyness is a ubiquitous phenomenon and associated with social anxiety, relatively few have examined the relation between maternal Shyness and children's socioemotional development. We explored the moderating influence of children's resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and RSA change on the relation between maternal Shyness and children's Shyness, empathy, and aggression in 129 (62 males) typically developing 4- (n = 81) and 6- (n = 48) year-olds. We found that 6-year-olds' RSA change score from baseline to a cognitive challenge task acted as a moderator on the relation between mother's Shyness and child observed empathy but not for maternal report of child aggression or child's observed Shyness. These results were not found in the 4-year-olds. Six-year-olds with relatively high RSA change and relatively low maternal Shyness displayed the highest levels of empathy. These results suggest that the maternal caregiving environment and biological characteristics of the child may confer individual differences in prosocial behaviors in children. Findings are discussed in terms of age-related differences in socioemotional behaviors in children of shy mothers.
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on the bifurcation of temperamental Shyness development adaptation and neoteny
New Ideas in Psychology, 2019Co-Authors: Louis A. Schmidt, Kristie L. PooleAbstract:Abstract In the present paper, the authors use Tinbergen's (1963) seminal four question framework regarding ontogeny, causation, function, and phylogeny to understand individual differences in human Shyness. We argue that there are at least two Shyness subtypes, an early appearing fearful Shyness, and a later emerging self-conscious Shyness (Buss, 1986) that develop into avoidant and conflicted Shyness, respectively, in early childhood and remain relatively stable into adulthood. We proffer that each Shyness subtype is presumed to have a different cause and function: fearful/avoidant Shyness results from social novelty, its function is to motivate vigilance, action and avoidance of impending threat and harm from conspecifics, and is subserved by evolutionarily old brain circuits; self-conscious/conflicted Shyness results from the experience of competing emotions of interest and fear of negative evaluation in social situations, its function is to allow more time for additional learning to take place about conspecifics' intentions and motives before responding, and is linked to relatively newer brain circuits. We argue for a highly speculative idea that self-conscious/conflicted Shyness bifurcated from fearful/avoidant Shyness later in human evolution as the neocortex grew bigger, self-awareness emerged, and the nature of social interactions became more complex. We further speculate that conflicted Shyness may be reflective of neoteny (i.e., delaying maturity and retaining child-like features into adulthood). We also provide some ways in which this Shyness-neoteny hypothesis can be empirically tested. We conclude by suggesting that considering the adaptive value of some temperamental phenotypes has implications for how we view normal and abnormal behavior.
Robert J. Coplan - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Shy Skaters? Shyness, Coping, and Adjustment Outcomes in Female Adolescent Figure Skaters
2020Co-Authors: Kavita Prakash, Robert J. CoplanAbstract:The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between Shyness and adjustment outcomes in competitive adolescent figure skaters. At Time 1, 40 female figure skaters completed self-reports of Shyness, athletic self-esteem and psychological coping style. At Time 2, approximately nine months later, skaters completed a measure of competitive anxiety immediately prior to a competitive performance. Competitive placement at this performance was also recorded. Results revealed that Shyness was associated with increased somatic (physiological) anxiety prior to competitive performance. Additionally, Shyness was negatively related to athletic self-esteem and competitive performance, but these relations were moderated by the skaters' use of psychological coping styles. The results are discussed in terms of the role of coping style as a protective factor against the potential negative outcomes associated with Shyness in the realm of athletics.
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cross lagged panel analyses of child Shyness maternal and paternal authoritarian parenting and teacher child relationships in mainland china
Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2018Co-Authors: Bowen Xiao, Robert J. Coplan, Xinyin Chen, Dan LiAbstract:The goal of this study was to explore longitudinal associations among child Shyness, harsh maternal and paternal parenting styles, and close teacher-child relationships in the cultural context of contemporary urban China. Participants were N = 1,154 third through seventh-grade students (566 boys, 588 girls; Mage = 10.78 years, SD = 1.55), recruited from schools in Shanghai, P. R. China. Data were collected at two time-periods over a one-year period using multi-source assessments. Children provided self-reports of Shyness, mothers and fathers rated their own harsh parenting, and teachers assessed teacher-child relationships. Among the results, Shyness predicted increased incremental change in harsh parenting (for both mothers and fathers) and incremental decrease in close teacher-child relationships one year later. Results are discussed in terms of the evolving meaning and implications of child Shyness in contemporary Chinese culture.
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Shyness and school adjustment in chinese children the roles of teachers and peers
School Psychology Quarterly, 2017Co-Authors: Robert J. Coplan, Xinyin Chen, Dan LiAbstract:: Although childhood Shyness has been associated with school-adjustment difficulties in contemporary research in China, the conceptual mechanisms that may underlie these relations remain underinvestigated. The goal of this study was to examine a complex theoretical model that explicates the roles of both peer preference and teacher-child relationships in the links between Shyness and school adjustment in Chinese children. Participants were N = 1,275 3rd- through 7th-grade students (637 boys, 638 girls; Mage = 10.78 years, SD = 1.55) attending public primary and secondary schools in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Measures of Shyness, peer preference, teacher-child relationships, and aspects of school adjustment were obtained from multiple source, including peer nominations, child self-reports, teacher ratings, and school records. Results from mediation and moderated mediation analyses demonstrated that (a) Shyness indirectly predicted greater internalizing problems and poorer academic achievement through its negative association with peer preference and (b) these indirect effects were moderated by teacher-child relationships, such that the negative association between Shyness and peer reference was attenuated among children with higher quality of teacher-child relationships. Results are discussed in terms of the roles of peers and teachers in the links between Shyness and school adjustment and their educational implications. (PsycINFO Database Record
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self reported Shyness in chinese children validation of the children s Shyness questionnaire and exploration of its links with adjustment and the role of coping
Personality and Individual Differences, 2014Co-Authors: Xuechen Ding, Robert J. Coplan, Xinyin Chen, Dan Li, Biao SangAbstract:The aims of the present study were to: (1) examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version on the Children’s Shyness Questionnaire (Crozier, 1995) among elementary school children; and (2) explore the links between Shyness, coping style, and indices of socio-emotional functioning. Participants were N = 580 children (311 boys, 269 girls, Mage = 11.14 years, SD = 1.37) in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. Measures of Shyness, coping style, and adjustment were gathered using multi-source assessments, including self-reports, peer nominations, teacher-ratings. Consistent with findings in North American samples, results from factor analysis suggested a single-factor model of Shyness among Chinese youth. Shyness was also associated with a wide range of negative socio-emotional difficulties. As well, emotion-focused coping was found to partially mediate relations between Shyness and children’s adjustment. Results are discussed in terms of the validity of this self-reported measure of Shyness and the role of coping for shy children’s adjustment in China.
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Bashful Boys and Coy Girls: A Review of Gender Differences in Childhood Shyness
Sex Roles, 2014Co-Authors: Laura Doey, Robert J. Coplan, Mila KingsburyAbstract:Shyness is a temperamental trait characterized by a fear of novel social situations and self-consciousness in situations of perceived social evaluation. From early childhood to adolescence, Shyness is associated with a host of negative outcomes including poor peer relationships (e.g., exclusion, victimization), internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, depression), and school adjustment difficulties (e.g., lack of academic success, school avoidance). It has been suggested that Shyness may be less socially acceptable for boys than for girls because it violates gender norms related to male social assertion and dominance. In the current paper, we review the empirical support for this assertion. More specifically, we examined: (1) possible gender differences in the prevalence of Shyness; (2) how important others (i.e., parents, teachers, peers) might respond differentially to Shyness in boys compared to girls; and (3) potential gender differences in the implications of Shyness across multiple domains. Most of this research has been conducted with school-aged children from Canada and the United States. However, we also explore findings from emerging cross-cultural studies in this area. Possible conceptual mechanisms that may underlie differences in the potential implications of Shyness for boys and girls are then discussed, as well as several prospective directions for future research.
Xinyin Chen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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developmental trajectories of Shyness sensitivity from middle childhood to early adolescence in china contributions of peer preference and mutual friendship
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 2019Co-Authors: Xinyin Chen, Rui Fu, Dan LiAbstract:This study examined trajectories of Shyness-sensitivity and the contributions of peer relationships to these trajectories in Chinese children. Participants were 1061 school-age children (537 boys), initially in fifth grade (Mage = 11 years), in China. Longitudinal data on Shyness-sensitivity were collected from peer assessments once a year for four years. In addition, peer nomination data on peer acceptance-rejection and mutual friendship were collected in the initial study. Four distinct Shyness-sensitivity trajectories were identified: Low-Stable, Low-Increasing, Moderate-Decreasing, and High-Stable. Children with high peer acceptance scores were more likely to be in the High-Stable and Moderate-Decreasing trajectories than in the Low-Stable and Low-Increasing trajectories. The analysis of predictors of the within-trajectory growth rate indicated that children who were more liked by peers increased their Shyness-sensitivity more slowly within the Low-Increasing trajectory and that children with mutual friendship involvement decreased their Shyness-sensitivity more slowly within the Moderate-Decreasing trajectory. The results suggested that positive relationships might serve to attenuate developmental changes of Shyness-sensitivity within these trajectories. The results were discussed in the Chinese context.
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culture and Shyness in childhood and adolescence
New Ideas in Psychology, 2019Co-Authors: Xinyin ChenAbstract:Abstract Shyness refers to anxious reactivity in challenging social situations. Whereas Shyness is believed to be biologically rooted, individual socialization experiences play a role in shaping its development. In this paper, I discuss issues related to culture, different forms of Shyness, and adjustment. Cultural beliefs and values, particularly those related to socialization goals, are reflected in adults' and peers' attitudes toward children's shy behavior, which ascribe meaning to the behavior and, at the same time, regulate its development. Culture also determines, in part, the functional significance of Shyness in terms of its relations with adjustment. It will be important to investigate the mediating role of social processes, such as evaluations and responses in peer interactions, in cultural influence on the display and developmental patterns of Shyness. It will also be important to examine the implications of social and cultural changes for the development of Shyness.
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cross lagged panel analyses of child Shyness maternal and paternal authoritarian parenting and teacher child relationships in mainland china
Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2018Co-Authors: Bowen Xiao, Robert J. Coplan, Xinyin Chen, Dan LiAbstract:The goal of this study was to explore longitudinal associations among child Shyness, harsh maternal and paternal parenting styles, and close teacher-child relationships in the cultural context of contemporary urban China. Participants were N = 1,154 third through seventh-grade students (566 boys, 588 girls; Mage = 10.78 years, SD = 1.55), recruited from schools in Shanghai, P. R. China. Data were collected at two time-periods over a one-year period using multi-source assessments. Children provided self-reports of Shyness, mothers and fathers rated their own harsh parenting, and teachers assessed teacher-child relationships. Among the results, Shyness predicted increased incremental change in harsh parenting (for both mothers and fathers) and incremental decrease in close teacher-child relationships one year later. Results are discussed in terms of the evolving meaning and implications of child Shyness in contemporary Chinese culture.
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Shyness and school adjustment in chinese children the roles of teachers and peers
School Psychology Quarterly, 2017Co-Authors: Robert J. Coplan, Xinyin Chen, Dan LiAbstract:: Although childhood Shyness has been associated with school-adjustment difficulties in contemporary research in China, the conceptual mechanisms that may underlie these relations remain underinvestigated. The goal of this study was to examine a complex theoretical model that explicates the roles of both peer preference and teacher-child relationships in the links between Shyness and school adjustment in Chinese children. Participants were N = 1,275 3rd- through 7th-grade students (637 boys, 638 girls; Mage = 10.78 years, SD = 1.55) attending public primary and secondary schools in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Measures of Shyness, peer preference, teacher-child relationships, and aspects of school adjustment were obtained from multiple source, including peer nominations, child self-reports, teacher ratings, and school records. Results from mediation and moderated mediation analyses demonstrated that (a) Shyness indirectly predicted greater internalizing problems and poorer academic achievement through its negative association with peer preference and (b) these indirect effects were moderated by teacher-child relationships, such that the negative association between Shyness and peer reference was attenuated among children with higher quality of teacher-child relationships. Results are discussed in terms of the roles of peers and teachers in the links between Shyness and school adjustment and their educational implications. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Shyness sensitivity and social school and psychological adjustment in urban chinese children a four wave longitudinal study
Child Development, 2015Co-Authors: Fan Yang, Xinyin Chen, Li WangAbstract:This study examined reciprocal contributions between Shyness-sensitivity and social, school, and psychological adjustment in urban Chinese children. Longitudinal data were collected once a year from Grade 3 to Grade 6 (ages 9–12 years) for 1,171 children from multiple sources. Shyness-sensitivity positively contributed to social, school, and psychological difficulties over time, with the most consistent effects on peer preference and loneliness. Social and school adjustment negatively contributed to the development of Shyness-sensitivity. The initial levels of Shyness-sensitivity and social and school adjustment moderated the growth of each other, mainly as a resource-potentiating factor. The results indicate the significance of Shyness-sensitivity for adjustment and the role of adjustment in the development of Shyness-sensitivity in today's urban Chinese society.
Dan Li - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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developmental trajectories of Shyness sensitivity from middle childhood to early adolescence in china contributions of peer preference and mutual friendship
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 2019Co-Authors: Xinyin Chen, Rui Fu, Dan LiAbstract:This study examined trajectories of Shyness-sensitivity and the contributions of peer relationships to these trajectories in Chinese children. Participants were 1061 school-age children (537 boys), initially in fifth grade (Mage = 11 years), in China. Longitudinal data on Shyness-sensitivity were collected from peer assessments once a year for four years. In addition, peer nomination data on peer acceptance-rejection and mutual friendship were collected in the initial study. Four distinct Shyness-sensitivity trajectories were identified: Low-Stable, Low-Increasing, Moderate-Decreasing, and High-Stable. Children with high peer acceptance scores were more likely to be in the High-Stable and Moderate-Decreasing trajectories than in the Low-Stable and Low-Increasing trajectories. The analysis of predictors of the within-trajectory growth rate indicated that children who were more liked by peers increased their Shyness-sensitivity more slowly within the Low-Increasing trajectory and that children with mutual friendship involvement decreased their Shyness-sensitivity more slowly within the Moderate-Decreasing trajectory. The results suggested that positive relationships might serve to attenuate developmental changes of Shyness-sensitivity within these trajectories. The results were discussed in the Chinese context.
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cross lagged panel analyses of child Shyness maternal and paternal authoritarian parenting and teacher child relationships in mainland china
Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2018Co-Authors: Bowen Xiao, Robert J. Coplan, Xinyin Chen, Dan LiAbstract:The goal of this study was to explore longitudinal associations among child Shyness, harsh maternal and paternal parenting styles, and close teacher-child relationships in the cultural context of contemporary urban China. Participants were N = 1,154 third through seventh-grade students (566 boys, 588 girls; Mage = 10.78 years, SD = 1.55), recruited from schools in Shanghai, P. R. China. Data were collected at two time-periods over a one-year period using multi-source assessments. Children provided self-reports of Shyness, mothers and fathers rated their own harsh parenting, and teachers assessed teacher-child relationships. Among the results, Shyness predicted increased incremental change in harsh parenting (for both mothers and fathers) and incremental decrease in close teacher-child relationships one year later. Results are discussed in terms of the evolving meaning and implications of child Shyness in contemporary Chinese culture.
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Shyness and school adjustment in chinese children the roles of teachers and peers
School Psychology Quarterly, 2017Co-Authors: Robert J. Coplan, Xinyin Chen, Dan LiAbstract:: Although childhood Shyness has been associated with school-adjustment difficulties in contemporary research in China, the conceptual mechanisms that may underlie these relations remain underinvestigated. The goal of this study was to examine a complex theoretical model that explicates the roles of both peer preference and teacher-child relationships in the links between Shyness and school adjustment in Chinese children. Participants were N = 1,275 3rd- through 7th-grade students (637 boys, 638 girls; Mage = 10.78 years, SD = 1.55) attending public primary and secondary schools in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Measures of Shyness, peer preference, teacher-child relationships, and aspects of school adjustment were obtained from multiple source, including peer nominations, child self-reports, teacher ratings, and school records. Results from mediation and moderated mediation analyses demonstrated that (a) Shyness indirectly predicted greater internalizing problems and poorer academic achievement through its negative association with peer preference and (b) these indirect effects were moderated by teacher-child relationships, such that the negative association between Shyness and peer reference was attenuated among children with higher quality of teacher-child relationships. Results are discussed in terms of the roles of peers and teachers in the links between Shyness and school adjustment and their educational implications. (PsycINFO Database Record
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self reported Shyness in chinese children validation of the children s Shyness questionnaire and exploration of its links with adjustment and the role of coping
Personality and Individual Differences, 2014Co-Authors: Xuechen Ding, Robert J. Coplan, Xinyin Chen, Dan Li, Biao SangAbstract:The aims of the present study were to: (1) examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version on the Children’s Shyness Questionnaire (Crozier, 1995) among elementary school children; and (2) explore the links between Shyness, coping style, and indices of socio-emotional functioning. Participants were N = 580 children (311 boys, 269 girls, Mage = 11.14 years, SD = 1.37) in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. Measures of Shyness, coping style, and adjustment were gathered using multi-source assessments, including self-reports, peer nominations, teacher-ratings. Consistent with findings in North American samples, results from factor analysis suggested a single-factor model of Shyness among Chinese youth. Shyness was also associated with a wide range of negative socio-emotional difficulties. As well, emotion-focused coping was found to partially mediate relations between Shyness and children’s adjustment. Results are discussed in terms of the validity of this self-reported measure of Shyness and the role of coping for shy children’s adjustment in China.
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Shyness sensitivity aggression and adjustment in urban chinese adolescents at different historical times
Journal of Research on Adolescence, 2012Co-Authors: Xinyin Chen, Dan Li, Doran C FrenchAbstract:The market-oriented economic reform in China over the past two decades has resulted in considerable changes in social attitudes regarding youth's behaviors. This study examined the relations of Shyness and aggression to adjustment in Chinese adolescents at different historical times. Participants came from two cohorts (1994 and 2008) of adolescents in Shanghai (N = 540 and 728, respectively; M age = 13 years), and data were obtained from multiple sources. Although aggression was associated with adjustment problems in both cohorts, there were significant cross-cohort differences in the relations between Shyness and adjustment. In the 1994 cohort, Shyness was positively associated with teacher-rated competence, leadership, and academic achievement. In the 2008 cohort, however, Shyness was negatively associated with peer preference and positively associated with loneliness.
Kristie L. Poole - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Adaptive Shyness: A Developmental Perspective
Adaptive Shyness, 2020Co-Authors: Kristie L. Poole, Louis A. SchmidtAbstract:One common perception is that Shyness is an inherently problematic trait that lays the developmental foundation of psychosocial maladjustment. However, not all shy individuals are alike, nor are all shy individuals at risk for poor developmental outcomes. In the current chapter, we discuss heterogeneous subtypes of Shyness. We place a particular emphasis on the adaptive subtype of positive Shyness, which is characterized by the expression of shy behavior (e.g., gaze aversion, avoidance) in conjunction with positive affect (e.g., smiling). We review theoretical and empirical evidence suggesting that positive Shyness may be an adaptive phenotype that helps the shy individual modulate arousal in social situations and helps to facilitate social approach through signaling of social interest, interpersonal trust, and appeasement, which ultimately may protect the shy individual from psychosocial maladjustment. We then propose a hypothetical model to describe the development and maintenance of adaptive and nonadaptive subtypes of Shyness. We conclude with suggestions for future research that may help to further our understanding of different Shyness subtypes and how they may relate to adaptive and nonadaptive outcomes across development.
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Shyness and Sociability Revisited
Adaptive Shyness, 2020Co-Authors: Kristie L. Poole, Louis A. SchmidtAbstract:Contrary to popular belief, the personality traits of Shyness and sociability are not merely opposite ends of the same dimension. Over three decades ago, Cheek and Buss (Shyness and sociability. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41, 330–339, 1981) noted that Shyness and sociability were conceptually and empirically independent traits. Since then, a number of studies have replicated their initial findings and shown that Shyness and sociability are indeed independent personality traits, each with distinct correlates across development. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the conceptual model proposed by Cheek and Buss (1981) and illustrate how Shyness and sociability act as a heuristic for assessing avoidance and approach motivation, respectively. Given the relative independence of Shyness and sociability, we can examine their interaction to yield four distinct social profiles: sociable (low Shyness, high sociability), unsociable (low Shyness, low sociability), avoidant shy (high Shyness, low sociability), and conflicted shy (high Shyness, high sociability). We then review empirical work since the original model proposed by Cheek and Buss that has illustrated distinct behavioral, physiological, and cognitive correlates of these resulting subtypes, as well as the developmental trajectories of Shyness and sociability and comment on some of the benefits of Shyness and costs of sociability. Considering Shyness and sociability as independent traits may further our understanding of the different reasons for multiple types of social withdrawal observed across the lifespan and the adaptive and maladaptive outcomes associated with each trait.
-
Trajectories of Observed Shyness and Psychosocial Adjustment in Children
Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 2020Co-Authors: Kristie L. Poole, Charles E. Cunningham, Louis A. SchmidtAbstract:Shyness can manifest as inhibition, fear, and avoidance in the context of social novelty and situations of perceived social evaluation. In the present study, 130 children ( M _age = 7.6 years, SD = 1.8) participated in a videotaped self-presentation task across three separate visits spanning approximately 3 years in early and middle childhood. Children’s observed Shyness was best characterized by two trajectories, including a high-stable class (19%) and a low-stable class (81%). Girls were more likely than boys to follow a pattern of high-stable observed Shyness. Further, children in the high-stable observed Shyness class were rated by parents and teachers as more socially anxious relative to children in the low-stable class, and boys in the high-stable observed Shyness class were rated by their teachers as displaying more depressive symptoms relative to girls. These findings suggest that a subset of children display stable behavioral Shyness, and this is correlated with psychosocial functioning.
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Exploring shy minds: Relations between Shyness and creativity
Personality and Individual Differences, 2019Co-Authors: Maria Magdalena Kwiatkowska, Radosław Rogoza, Kristie L. PooleAbstract:Abstract The relation between Shyness and creativity has not been fully elucidated. The aim of present study was to examine if shy individuals express their creativity in different ways, as indexed by the relation between Shyness and open-mindedness and its three facets: intellectual curiosity, aesthetic sensitivity, and creative imagination. We analyzed two separate structural equation models: first treating overall open-mindedness as a predictor of Shyness, and the second in which we examined the three separate facets of open-mindedness (i.e., intellectual curiosity, aesthetic sensitivity, and creative imagination). Young adults (N = 727, Mage = 22.19 years) self-reported their levels of Shyness and the three facets of open-mindedness. Results revealed that although Shyness was unrelated to the broader construct of open-mindedness, the differentiation of the open-mindedness facets resulted in a good model fit to the data. Specifically, Shyness was negatively associated with creative imagination, but positively associated with aesthetic sensitivity. Our findings illustrate the importance of examining different components of creativity, as these seem to be differentially associated with personality dimensions such as Shyness. Our findings also have theoretical implications for understanding how shy individuals may express their creativity.
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on the bifurcation of temperamental Shyness development adaptation and neoteny
New Ideas in Psychology, 2019Co-Authors: Louis A. Schmidt, Kristie L. PooleAbstract:Abstract In the present paper, the authors use Tinbergen's (1963) seminal four question framework regarding ontogeny, causation, function, and phylogeny to understand individual differences in human Shyness. We argue that there are at least two Shyness subtypes, an early appearing fearful Shyness, and a later emerging self-conscious Shyness (Buss, 1986) that develop into avoidant and conflicted Shyness, respectively, in early childhood and remain relatively stable into adulthood. We proffer that each Shyness subtype is presumed to have a different cause and function: fearful/avoidant Shyness results from social novelty, its function is to motivate vigilance, action and avoidance of impending threat and harm from conspecifics, and is subserved by evolutionarily old brain circuits; self-conscious/conflicted Shyness results from the experience of competing emotions of interest and fear of negative evaluation in social situations, its function is to allow more time for additional learning to take place about conspecifics' intentions and motives before responding, and is linked to relatively newer brain circuits. We argue for a highly speculative idea that self-conscious/conflicted Shyness bifurcated from fearful/avoidant Shyness later in human evolution as the neocortex grew bigger, self-awareness emerged, and the nature of social interactions became more complex. We further speculate that conflicted Shyness may be reflective of neoteny (i.e., delaying maturity and retaining child-like features into adulthood). We also provide some ways in which this Shyness-neoteny hypothesis can be empirically tested. We conclude by suggesting that considering the adaptive value of some temperamental phenotypes has implications for how we view normal and abnormal behavior.
