Annual Marston LaFrance Research Fellowship Lecture

Topic: “What the Meek Shall Inherit: The Development of Shyness in Childhood”
Speaker: Robert Coplan, Department of Psychology
Date: Monday, February 27, 2012 at 4:00 p.m.
Location: College of the Humanities Auditorium, 303 Paterson Hall

LECTURE ABSTRACT

It is a common experience for many children to feel somewhat wary or nervous when meeting unfamiliar people or encountering new situations. However, about 15% of children are considered extremely shy, routinely experiencing fear and anxiety in social contexts to a degree that hinders their abilities to interact with others. Historically, shy children have been largely ignored, particularly as compared to their peers who display more “externalizing” problems such as aggression, bullying, and deficits of attention. This presentation will provide an overview of our ongoing program of research exploring the roles of child temperament and family factors in the development of shyness, the unique challenges faced by shy children at school, and early intervention programs designed to assist extremely shy children.

ROBERT COPLAN

Robert Coplan is a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Pickering Centre for Research in Human Development. His research explores links between children’s social and emotional development, peer relationships, and developmental psychopathology. In particular, he has published extensively in the area of children’s shyness and social anxiety. His books include the 2010 edited volume The Development of Shyness and Social Withdrawal (Guilford), the 2011 textbook Social Development in Childhood and Adolescence: A Contemporary Reader (Wiley-Blackwell), and the forthcoming Handbook of Solitude: Psychological Perspectives on Social Isolation, Social Withdrawal, and Being Alone (Wiley-Blackwell). He recently completed a five-year term as Editor of the academic journal Social Development (2006-2011).