A comparison of shy and confident university students
Date
1984
Authors
Scrivens, Kent G.
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Abstract
This study investigated the differences between shy and confident university students. The 140 students who participated in the study were enrolled in five different introductory classes in four different faculties at the University of Victoria. They filled out the Social Reticence Scale, which was used to identify three groups: shy (35 subjects), confident (35 subjects) and 'in-between' (70 subjects). The students also responded to a shyness questionnaire. First of all, shy and confident subjects' responses to questionnaire items on locus of control of reinforcement, causal attribution and expectancy were compared. Based upon subjects' self-reported loci of control only, it was found that both the shy and confident subjects surveyed have internalized loci of control. They also have internalized causal attributions for past social difficulties. However, while less than half of the confident subjects had positive expectancies of future social su6cesses, over 75% of the shy subjects had such expectancies. Secondly, shy and confident subjects' responses to questionnaire items on social reticence were also compared. It was found that shy subjects reported having significantly greater difficulties than confident subjects in the following areas: being unable to think of appropriate ideas or replies to state in groups due to fear or anxiety; being able to think of appropriate ideas or replies but being unable to state them due to fear or anxiety; censoring things which they might say to others out of concern that these things might not be interesting enough; thinking that they have good conversational skills but feeling too inhibited to use them with certain individuals and in certain social situations; and feeling less skilled than others at initiating topics of conversation in social settings and therefore rarely doing so. Thirdly, shy; confident and in-between groups of subjects were also compared with regard to techniques which subjects have used, and techniques which they think might be useful, to successfully cope with shyness in social situations.