Shyness as an Anticipatory Form of Appeasement in Urban Black American Children

This is the first empirical study to report on shyness in Black American children. Shyness is framed as serving the function of appeasement, that amid conditions of potential social conflict or power imbalance, the conciliatory nature of shyness engenders interpersonal cooperation to the benefit of the shy individual and the group to which he or she belongs. Peer nominations, teacher reports, and census data were used to explore age-related differences in the correlates of perceived shyness among 445 Black American students attending five urban elementary schools in the U.S. (grades 3–6; mean ages 9.4–12.3 years; 91% free or reduced lunch). Multilevel regression analysis yielded findings in at least partial support of four theoretically derived hypotheses. In partial support of the shyness as protection from environmental risk hypothesis (H1), Black girls (but not boys) and older students (grades 5 and 6) who resided in more disadvantaged neighborhoods were more frequently perceived by their peers as being shy. Consistent with the ascendance of shyness as appeasement hypothesis (H2), having low popularity was associated with higher levels of perceived shyness among students in grades 5 and 6, but not in grades 3 and 4. Consistent with the hedonic effects of shyness hypothesis (H3), among students in grades 5 and 6 (but not grades 3 and 4), being widely perceived as shy was associated with higher levels of prosocial behavior. Consistent with the care-eliciting effects of shyness hypothesis (H4), being widely perceived as shy was associated with having a closer relationship with the teacher, and this association was stronger among students in grades 5 and 6 than among students in grades 3 and 4. The study findings are discussed within a conceptual framework that integrates evolutionary, cultural, and ecological perspectives of human shyness.