ERIC Number: EJ1051785
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Oct
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Longitudinal Trajectories of Social Reticence with Unfamiliar Peers across Early Childhood
Degnan, Kathryn A.; Almas, Alisa N.; Henderson, Heather A.; Hane, Amie Ashley; Walker, Olga L.; Fox, Nathan A.
Developmental Psychology, v50 n10 p2311-2323 Oct 2014
Behavioral inhibition is a temperament assessed in the toddler period via children's responses to novel contexts, objects, and unfamiliar adults. Social reticence is observed as onlooking, unoccupied behavior in the presence of unfamiliar peers and is linked to earlier behavioral inhibition. In the current study, we assessed behavioral inhibition in a sample of 262 children at ages 2 and 3, and then assessed social reticence in these same children as they interacted with an unfamiliar, same-age, same-sex peer at 2, 3, 4, and 5 years of age. As expected, early behavioral inhibition was related to social reticence at each age. However, multiple trajectories of social reticence were observed including High-Stable, High-Decreasing, and Low-Increasing, with the High-Stable and High-Decreasing trajectories associated with greater behavioral inhibition compared to the Low-Increasing trajectory. In addition, children in the High-Stable social reticence trajectory were rated higher than all others on 60-month Internalizing problems. Children in the Low-Increasing trajectory were rated higher on 60-month Externalizing problems than children in the High-Decreasing trajectory. These results illustrate the multiple developmental pathways for behaviorally inhibited toddlers and suggest patterns across early childhood associated with heightened risk for psychopathology.
Descriptors: Child Behavior, Inhibition, Peer Relationship, Social Behavior, Personality, Toddlers, Young Children, Longitudinal Studies, Behavior Problems, Structural Equation Models, Novelty (Stimulus Dimension), Child Development
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (DHHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Child Behavior Checklist
Grant or Contract Numbers: MH 074454; MH93349; HD 17899
Author Affiliations: N/A