Social Preference and Behavioral Inhibition in Preschool Children: Multi-Informant Evaluations and Demographic Predictors

The primary aim of this study is to examine the relationship between preschool children’s social preferences and their levels of behavioral inhibition, and to determine whether this relationship differs according to various demographic variables. This study was conducted using a relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. The sample consisted of 297 children attending public independent preschools in the Tuzla district of Istanbul, selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Child Social Preference Scale-3 (CSPS-3), and the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire (BIQ). Prior to the analyses, the assumptions of normality were examined, and non-parametric statistical tests were employed accordingly. Research findings indicate contextual and conceptual differences between teachers’ and parents’ evaluations of children’s social preferences, suggesting that children may display different behaviors across school and family contexts, particularly in relation to shyness, associality, and social avoidance. Another key finding shows a significant association between parents’ observations of temperament-based inhibition and teachers’ evaluations of social preference at school, indicating that biologically based inhibition observed at home may be a key determinant of social withdrawal in school. Regarding demographic variables, parental education level was found to influence children’s social adjustment and anxiety, while the number of siblings was associated with social preference and inhibition behaviors.