Research Findings: The goal of the present study was to examine the moderating role of child effortful control (EC) in the relation between shyness and social-emotional adjustment difficulties among young Chinese children. Participants included 195 children (117 boys, 78 girls, Mage = 4.28 years, SD = 0.31) enrolled in 6 classes attending…

The aim of this study was to explore the moderating role of parenting behaviors (i.e., authoritative, authoritarian, protective, and maternal involvement) in the relations between unsociability and socio-emotional adjustment in a sample of young Chinese children. Participants were N = 487 children (283 boys, M[subscript age] = 58.88 months,…

The aim of this short-term longitudinal study was to explore the moderating role of insecure mother--child attachment (i.e., ambivalent and avoidant) in the relations between shyness and indices of adjustment difficulties in early childhood. Participants were 360 children (200 boys and 160 girls, M[subscript age]=4.72 years, SD=0.63) attending…

The goals of the present study were to (a) develop and validate a new self-report measure of social avoidance for use among early adolescents in mainland China and (b) explore the links between subtypes of social withdrawal (i.e., shyness, unsociability, and social avoidance) and indices of socio-emotional difficulties in this cultural context.…

Shyness may play a significant role in children's socio-emotional and cognitive competence in the classroom. This qualitative study investigated elementary school teachers' perceptions of the concept of shyness in their students. In particular, we explored teachers' perceptions regarding the role that gender plays in shy children's behaviours, and…

The goal of the present study was to explore the moderating role of teacher-child relationships in the relation between shyness and socio-emotional adjustment in early elementary school. Participants were n = 169 grade 1 children (M[subscript age] = 76.93 mos, SD = 3.86). Shortly after the start of the school year (September), parents completed an…

The purpose of this study was to examine how shyness-sensitivity and unsociability were associated with social, school, and psychological adjustment in rural Chinese children. Participants were third- to fifth-grade students (N = 820; M age = 10 years) in rural schools in P. R. China. Data on shyness-sensitivity, unsociability, and adjustment were…

The goal of this study was to examine the moderating role of pragmatic language in the relations between shyness and indices of socio-emotional adjustment in an unselected sample of early elementary school children. In particular, we sought to explore whether pragmatic language played a protective role for shy children. Participants were n = 167…

This paper reports on three studies of shy behavior in Mainland Chinese children. In Study 1 (N = 107, M age = 10.05), a Chinese Shyness Scale (CSS) was developed based on Chinese teachers' open-ended descriptions of children's shy behavior. In Study 2 (N = 388, M age = 10.80) and Study 3 (N = 198, M age = 10.20), the construct validity of the two…