The Purdue Shyness Rating Scales: Psychometric Properties and Congruence Between Mother and Teacher Ratings

Abstract

The Purdue Shyness Scales for parents and teachers were developed based on the conception of shyness as an approach-avoidance motivational conflict, and were tested for their psychometric properties. Additionally, congruence of mothers' and teachers' perceptions of shyness was examined. Sixty-seven 4- and 5-year-old children, their mothers, and 21 daycare teachers participated. Results demonstrated adequate test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and convergent and discriminant validity. Mothers' ratings of their child's shyness were moderately correlated with teacher ratings, though cross-tabulation of shyness categories (high, low, and average) demonstrated significant non-overlap between mothers' and teachers' assessments; This was the case for both the Purdue Shyness Rating Scales and the EAS Temperament Scale. Significantly higher correlations of teacher ratings of shyness with sociability and activity than mother ratings of shyness with sociability and activity suggest that teacher assessments of shyness may be more closely tied to the degree of an individual child's social salience in group situations.