Citation

Coplan RJ, Coleman B, Rubin KH. Dev. Psychobiol. 1998; 32(1): 37-44.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9452906

Abstract

In recent years, researchers have uncovered a link between iris pigmentation and inhibition/social wariness among young children (e.g., Rosenberg & Kagan, 1987, 1989; Rubin & Both, 1989). In the present study, 152 Caucasian preschool-aged (Mage = 54.09 months, SD = 5.84) children (77 males) with either blue (n = 84) or brown (n = 68) eyes, were compared in terms of parental and teacher ratings of social wariness, social play, and aggression. A significant Eye Color x Gender Interaction was found in terms of indices of social wariness; blue-eyed males were rated as more socially wary than brown-eyed males, while blue- and brown-eyed females did not differ in this regard. These results supported the notion that eye color is a marker variable for social wariness in young children.

Language: en