Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Canada.
Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Dev Sci. 2024 Nov;27(6):e13558. doi: 10.1111/desc.13558. Epub 2024 Aug 19.
Shyness is typically associated with avoidant social behavior and restricted affect in new social situations. However, we know considerably less about how one child's shyness influences another child's behavior and affect in new social situations. Children's shyness was parent-reported when children were age 3 (N = 105, 52 girls, M= 3.50 years), and children were tested approximately 1 year later (M= 4.76 years) in same-gender dyads where they were asked to give an impromptu speech about their most recent birthday in front of an experimenter and the other member of the dyad. We examined whether children's shyness and speech order influenced their own and their social partner's observed behavior and affect during the speech. Regardless of speech order, children's own shyness was positively associated with their own avoidant social behavior and gaze aversion. Regardless of shyness, children who gave their speech second averted their gaze more than children who gave their speech first. We also found that children who gave their speech second displayed less positive affect if their social partner who they watched give the speech first was shyer. We speculate that some 4-year-old children may be sensitive to the avoidant behaviors of their shy peers and, in turn, respond with less animation when it is their turn to participate in the same activity. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We examined whether preschool children's shyness and speech order influenced their own and their social partner's observed behavior and affect during a dyadic speech task Children's own shyness was positively associated with their own avoidant social behavior and gaze aversion Children who gave their speech second averted their gaze more than children who gave their speech first. Children who gave their speech second displayed less positive affect if their social partner who they watched give a speech first was shyer These findings suggest that preschool-aged children are sensitive to learning about their environment indirectly through social observation.
害羞通常与回避社交行为和在新的社交情境中限制情感表达有关。然而，我们对一个孩子的害羞如何影响另一个孩子在新的社交情境中的行为和情感知之甚少。当孩子 3 岁时（N=105，52 名女孩，M=3.50 岁），家长报告了孩子的害羞程度，大约 1 年后（M=4.76 岁），孩子在同性别二人组中接受测试，要求他们在一名实验者和另一名二人组的成员面前即兴演讲，讲述他们最近的生日。我们考察了孩子的害羞程度和演讲顺序是否影响他们自己和他们的社交伙伴在演讲中的观察到的行为和情感。无论演讲顺序如何，孩子自身的害羞程度与其自身的回避社交行为和目光回避都呈正相关。无论害羞程度如何，第二个演讲的孩子比第一个演讲的孩子更回避目光。我们还发现，如果他们观看的社交伙伴先演讲，那么第二个演讲的孩子表现出的积极情绪较少。我们推测，一些 4 岁的孩子可能对害羞同伴的回避行为敏感，因此当轮到他们参与相同的活动时，他们的反应就不那么活跃了。研究亮点：我们考察了学龄前儿童的害羞程度和演讲顺序是否影响他们在双人演讲任务中自己和社交伙伴的观察到的行为和情感。孩子自身的害羞程度与其自身的回避社交行为和目光回避呈正相关。第二个演讲的孩子比第一个演讲的孩子更回避目光。如果他们观看的社交伙伴先演讲，那么第二个演讲的孩子表现出的积极情绪较少。这些发现表明，学龄前儿童通过社交观察间接地对环境变化很敏感。
