The Longitudinal Association Between Shyness and Cognitive Biases Among Rural Chinese Children: A Three-Wave Cross-Lagged Analysis

Abstract

This study investigated longitudinal relationships between shyness and three types of cognitive biases (i.e., probability judgment bias, cost judgment bias, and threatening interpretation bias) among rural Chinese children. A three-wave design (lasting 12-month) was employed with 1,112 children (61.24% boys; Mage = 10.29) from Gushi County, China, who self-reported their levels of shyness and cognitive biases at each wave. Cross-lagged panel models revealed that shyness was moderately stable over time and significantly predicted subsequent increases in all three types of cognitive biases. Probability and cost judgment biases also predicted later shyness, but only from the second to third wave, providing partial support for a bidirectional relationship. In contrast, threatening interpretation bias did not significantly predict later shyness. These findings suggested that shyness plays an important role in shaping children’s cognitive biases and highlighted the importance of early intervention targeting maladaptive cognition in shy children to prevent long-term socio-emotional challenges in Chinese culture.