Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Lebenswissen­schaftliche Fakultät - Institut für Psychologie

Shyness and Sociability Scales for Adults (authorized English version)

The following self-rating scales were used in various studies of young adults. The scales were reliable despite their briefness (alphas > .80 for shyness and alphas > .70 for sociability). The 2 scales correlate approximately -.50, thus show sufficient discriminant validity.

Shyness

I feel shy in the presence of others

I feel inhibited when I am with other people

I easily approach others (-)

It is easy for me to get in touch with strangers (-)

I feel uneasy at parties and in large groups

Sociability

I like to have many people around me

I really like to talk to other people

I usually prefer to do things alone (-)

I find people more stimulating than everything else

I prefer to work with others rather than alone

(-) reversed item

Response format:

true for me: 1(not at all) - 5(completely)

These items should be randomly mixed with distractor items.

References: