Survey of Heterosexual Interactions (SHI)

Abstract

The Survey of Heterosexual Interactions (SHI) is a specialized self-report instrument developed by Twentyman, Boland, and McFall in 1981. It was designed primarily to measure the degree of self-reported difficulty or ease experienced by male college students when initiating and maintaining interactions with unfamiliar females in various social settings. The scale serves as a key tool for identifying individuals exhibiting heterosocial avoidance and shyness, particularly in clinical and research settings focused on social skills training. The SHI is comprised of 20 scenario-based items scored on a 7-point scale, providing a quantitative measure of perceived competence in common heterosexual interactions.

Keywords

Heterosocial avoidance, social skills, shyness, behavioral assessment, self-report scale, college males, social anxiety, dating competence, psychometric properties

Authors

C. T. Twentyman, T. Boland, R. M. McFall

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Survey of Heterosexual Interactions (SHI) is to assess the specific behavioral deficits and subjective discomfort associated with initiating contact with unfamiliar individuals of the opposite sex. The scale was instrumental in research focused on defining and treating shyness, particularly when shyness manifested as an inability to approach or converse with potential romantic partners.

The instrument quantifies an individual’s perceived likelihood of engaging in a heterosocial interaction across a range of ecologically valid, common social scenarios, such as asking a stranger to dance, initiating conversation at a party, or calling for a date. This measurement allows researchers and clinicians to objectively gauge the severity of social anxiety and social avoidance prior to and following therapeutic interventions, such as behavioral training programs.

Construct

The SHI measures the psychological construct validity of Heterosocial Competence and Avoidance. This construct relates to an individual’s self-efficacy and comfort level regarding initiating interactions, maintaining conversation, and overcoming situational barriers (such as the presence of observers or competing social demands) in situations involving non-familiar individuals of the opposite sex.

Scores on the SHI reflect self-perceived ability rather than actual observed behavior, though the original research demonstrated significant correlations between SHI scores and actual behavioral performance measures in role-playing assessments. Low scores indicate a high degree of perceived inability and avoidance, often signaling significant social or dating anxiety.

Validity

The SHI possesses strong evidence of concurrent and discriminant validity, established primarily through its use in studies contrasting socially skilled and socially deficient (shy) male college students. The scale successfully discriminated between these two groups, demonstrating its utility as a diagnostic and screening tool.

Specifically, scores on the SHI have been shown to correlate positively with other established measures of social competence and negatively with measures of shyness and social discomfort. Its utility in predicting performance on behavioral measures, such as role-play tests of dating initiation, further supports its validity as a measure of self-reported behavioral capacity in challenging heterosocial settings.

Reliability

The Survey of Heterosexual Interactions is characterized by high levels of internal consistency, indicating that the 20 items consistently measure the same underlying construct. Studies conducted by the original authors and subsequent researchers consistently report high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, typically ranging from 0.89 to 0.94. This high reliability suggests that the instrument is highly consistent and stable in its measurement of heterosocial competence.

Factor Analysis

While the SHI covers a variety of specific social scenarios (e.g., calling for a date, initiating conversation in a group, approaching someone alone), factor analytic studies generally support a highly cohesive, unidimensional structure. This suggests that the 20 items primarily load onto a single factor representing overall Heterosocial Competence or Avoidance. This finding supports the calculation of a single, total score for the scale, which is the standard methodology for its interpretation.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychometric properties scale based on hypothetical social scenarios.

Format: 20 items rated on a 7-point Likert scale, where 1 indicates inability in every case and 7 indicates ability in every case.

Language Available: English (Original).

Population Group: Clinical and non-clinical populations experiencing social or dating anxiety.

Age Group: Late adolescence through young adulthood (College students).

Population Details: Originally normed and validated on male college students, particularly those identified as shy or socially anxious, due to the scale’s focus on male-initiated heterosexual dating behaviors prevalent at the time of its development.

Test Methodology: Respondents read each scenario and rate the likelihood or ease with which they would perform the requested behavior, scoring higher points for greater perceived competence.

Keywords

Dating anxiety, self-efficacy, social competence, dating behavior, behavioral therapy, college population, shy males, psychodiagnostics

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not available/Applicable for the original authors.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not available/Applicable for the original authors.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source material (Likely affiliated with the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at the time of publication).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Survey of Heterosexual Interactions (SHI) was first published in a substantial research context in 1981. As a research instrument often found in academic sourcebooks, it is generally available for non-commercial academic and clinical use, provided proper citation is given. Specific details regarding licensing fees should be directed to the authors or the journal publisher (Behavior Modification).

Test Year: 1981 (Based on Twentyman, Boland, & McFall publication).

Reference’s

• Twentyman, C. T., & McFall, R. M. (1975). Behavioral training of social skills in shy males. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43(3), 384-395.
• Twentyman, C. T., Boland, T., & McFall, R. M. (1981). Heterosocial avoidance in college males: Four studies. Behavior Modification, 5(4), 523-552.
• Twentyman and McFall (1981). Survey of Heterosexual Interactions (SHI). IN Fischer, Joel., Corcoran, Kevin J. (2007). Measures for Clinical Practice and research: A sourcebook. (4th ed.). NY. Oxford University Pr. Vol. 1, Page (s): 193-197.

Items of the Survey of Heterosexual Interactions (SHI)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. You want to call a girl up for a date. This is the first time you are calling her up as you only know her slightly. When you get ready to make the call, your roommate comes into the room, sits down on his bed and begins reading a magazine. In this situation you would:
1= be unable to call in every case, 2, 3, 4= be able to call in some cases in every case, 5, 6, 7= be able to call in every case

2. You are at a dance. You see a very attractive girl whom you do not know. She is standing alone and you would like to dance with her. You would:
1= be unable to ask her in every case, 2, 3, 4= be able to ask her in some cases, 5, 6, 7= be able to ask her in every case

3. You are at a party and you see two girls talking. You do not know these girls but you would like to know one of them better. In this situation you would:
1= be unable to initiate a conversation, 2, 3, 4= be able to initiate a conversation in some cases, 5, 6, 7= be able to initiate a conversation in every case

4. You are at a bar where there is also dancing. You see a couple of girls sitting in it booth. One, whom you do not know, is talking with a fellow who is standing by the booth. These two go over to dance leaving the other girl sitting alone. You have seen this girl around, but do not really know her. You would like to go over and talk to her (but you wouldn’t like to dance). In this situation you would:
1= be unable to go over and talk to her, 2, 3, 4= be able to go over and talk to her in some cases, 5, 6, 7= be able to go over and talk to her in every case

5. On a work break at your job you see a girl who also works there and is about your age. You would like to talk to her, but you do not know her. You would:
1= be unable to talk to her in every case, 2, 3, 4= be able to talk to her in some cases, 5, 6, 7= be able to talk to her in every case

6. You are on a crowded bus; a girl you know only slightly is sitting in front of you. You would like to talk to her but you notice that the fellow sitting next to her is watching you. You would:
1= be unable to talk to her in every case, 2, 3, 4= be able to talk to her in some cases, 5, 6, 7= be able to talk to her in every case

7. You are at a dance. You see an attractive girl whom you do not know, standing in a group of four girls. You would:
1= be unable to ask to in every case, 2, 3, 4= be able to ask in some cases, 5, 6, 7= be able to ask in every case

8. You are at a drugstore counter eating lunch. A girl whom you do not know sits down beside you. You would like to talk to her. After her meal comes she asks you to pass the sugar. In this situation you would pass the sugar:
1= but be unable to initiate a conversation with her, 2, 3, 4= and in some cases be able to initiate a conversation, 5, 6, 7= and be able to initiate conversation

9. A friend of yours is going out with his girlfriend this weekend. He wants you to come along and gives you the name and phone number of a girl he says would be a good date. You are not doing anything this weekend. In this situation you would:
1= be unable to call in every case, 2, 3, 4= be able to call her in some cases, 5, 6, 7= be able to call in every case

10. You are at the library. You decide to take a break, and as you walk down the hall you see a girl whom you know only casually. She is sitting at a table and appears to be studying. You decide that you would like to ask her to get a coke with you. In this situation you would:
1= be unable to ask her in every case, 2, 3, 4= be able to ask her in some case, 5, 6, 7= be able to ask her in every case

11. You want to can a girl up for a date. You find this girl attractive but you do not know her. You would:
1= be unable to call in every case, 2, 3, 4= be able to call in some cases, 5, 6, 7 = be able to call in every case

12. You are taking a class at the university. After one of your classes you see a girl whom you know. You would like to talk to her; however, she is walking with a couple of otter girls you do not know. You would:
1= be unable to talk to her in every case, 2, 3, 4= be able to talk to her in some cases, 5, 6, 7= be able to call in every case

13. You have been working on a committee for the past year. There is a banquet at which you are assigned a particular seat. On one side of you there is a girl you do not know; on the other side is a guy you do not know. In this situation you would:
1= be unable to initiate a conversation with the girl and talk only with the guy, 2, 3, 4= be able to initiate a conversation with the girl in some cases but talk to the guy, 5, 6, 7= be able to initiate a conversation in every case and be able to talk equally as freely with the girl as with the guy

14. You are in the lobby of a large apartment complex waiting for a friend. As you are waiting for him to come down a girl whom you know well walks by with another girl whom you have never seen before. The girl you know says hello and begins to talk to you. Suddenly .she remembers that she left something in her room. Just before she leaves you she tells you the other girl’s name. In this situation you would:
1= find it very difficult to initiate and continue a conversation with the other girl, 2, 3, 4= find it only slightly difficult, 5, 6, 7= find it easy to initiate and continue a conversation

15. You are at a party in a friend’s apartment. You see it girl who has come alone. You don’t know her, but you would like to talk to her. In this situation you would:
1= be unable to go over and talk to her, 2, 3, 4= be able to go over and talk to her in some cases, 5, 6, 7= be able to go over and talk to her in every case

16. You are walking to your mailbox in the large apartment building where you live, When you get there you notice that two girls putting their names on the mailbox of the vacant apartment beneath yours. In this situation you would:
1= be unable to go over and initiate a conversation, 2, 3, 4= be able to go over and initiate a conversation in some cases, 5, 6, 7= be able to go over and initiate a conversation in every case

17. You are at a record store and see a girl that you once were introduced to. That was several months ago and now you have forgotten her name. You would like to talk to her. In this situation you would:
1=be unable to start a conversation with her in every case, 2, 3, 4= be able to start a conversation with her in some cases, 5, 6, 7= able to start a conversation with her in every case

18. You are at the student un‎ion or local cafeteria where friends your age eat lunch. You have gotten your meal and are now looking for a place to sit down. Unfortunately, there are no empty tables. At one table, however, there is a girl sitting alone. In this situation you would:
1 = wait until another place was empty and then sit down, 2, 3, 4= ask the girl if you could sit at the table but not say anything more to her, 5, 6, 7= ask the girl if you could sit at the table and then initiate a conversation

19. A couple of weeks ago you had a first-date with a girl you now see walking on the street towards you. For some reason you haven’t seen each other since then. You would like to talk to her but aren’t sure of what she thinks of you. In this situation you would:
1= walk by without saying anything, 2, 3, 4= walk up to her and say something in every case, 5, 6, 7= walk up to her and say something in every cases

20. Generally, in most social situations involving girls whom I do not know, I would:
1= be unable to initiate a conversation, 2, 3, 4= be able to initiate a conversation in some cases, 5, 6, 7= be able to initiate a conversation in every case

The original instrument can be found online here: http://www.angelfire.com/ab6/polepino/AppendixI.html