Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026
06:41
Assessment of Social Interaction Behaviors
Published on: February 25, 2011
Peer behavior toward socially anxious adolescents: classroom observations
Anke W Blöte1, Marcia J W Kint, P Michiel Westenberg
1Leiden University Institute for Psychological Research, Developmental Psychology Unit, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands. bloete@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Behaviour Research and Therapy
|August 2, 2007
Summary
Adolescents with higher social anxiety experienced more negative treatment from classmates during presentations. This negative social outcome stemmed from prolonged classroom interactions, not specific anxiety states.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Adolescent Development
- Social Interaction
Background:
- Social anxiety is a significant concern during adolescence.
- Peer treatment can profoundly impact adolescent social-emotional well-being.
- Classroom interactions, especially during presentations, offer a unique context to study social dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between adolescents' social anxiety and peer treatment.
- To examine the connection between classroom behavior during oral presentations and social anxiety.
- To differentiate the influence of trait versus state social anxiety on peer interactions.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 55 eighth and ninth-grade students participated.
- Social anxiety was assessed as both a trait and in two state anxiety forms.
- Classroom behavior during oral presentations was evaluated by students, teachers, and an independent observer.
Main Results:
- Negative classroom behavior was significantly associated with higher social anxiety.
- This association was particularly pronounced when behavior was rated by an independent observer.
- The findings indicated that social anxiety's impact on peer treatment is linked to the duration of social interactions.
Conclusions:
- Adolescents' social anxiety influences how they are treated by peers in classroom settings.
- The study highlights the importance of observer perspective in assessing social interactions.
- Negative social outcomes appear more related to the general social environment than transient anxiety states.
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