Research finds that shy people deliberately keep conversations short and polite and avoid potentially controversial or embarrassing topics. Some researchers point to these findings to suggest that social anxiety is caused by excessive

A) fear of strangers.
B) fear of the unknown.
C) evaluation apprehension.
D) need for control.

The behavior of shy people, as described in the research, is consistent with the concept of evaluation apprehension, which refers to the fear of being judged or evaluated by others. Shy people may avoid controversial or embarrassing topics because they fear negative evaluation or rejection by the person they are talking to. This suggests that social anxiety is caused by excessive evaluation apprehension. Fear of strangers, fear of the unknown, and need for control are not directly supported by the findings described.