Shyness: Conceptualization and measurement.

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Abstract
Examined the concept of shyness and its measurement by collecting and analyzing data in 3 phases: (1) the revision and continued development of a measure of shyness, the Social Reticence Scale (SRS), which was designed by W. H. Jones and D. Russell (see record 1983-09411-001); (2) a psychometric comparison among 5 measures of shyness; and (3) an examination of the factor structure underlying the construct of shyness. Phase 1 assessed the reliability (n = 252 college students) and validity (n = 164 college students) of the SRS, including ratings of videotaped monologs and ratings by significant others. Phase 2, using 1,213 Ss (aged 15–25 yrs), compared the 5 shyness measures with one another on indices of internal consistency and with other relevant measures of emotionality, personality, relationships, and behavior. Items from the 5 shyness measures were combined in a factor analysis in Phase 3, and the resulting factors were correlated with the self-report and rating data obtained in Phase 2. Results confirmed that the shyness measures were valid, reliable, and empirically distinct from measures of related constructs. Behavioral validity was observed for several of the shyness scales. Additional analyses suggested that 3 interpretable factors underlie responses to the shyness scale—Social Avoidance and Distress, Social Facility, and Fear of High Status Others—but provided little support for drawing conceptual distinctions among types of shyness. (57 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

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