
Visible crew/equipment: When Leonard, Sheldon and Penny are eating lunch for the first time, Penny sits on Sheldon's spot, Leonard then tells him to "Just sit somewhere else." He then walks over to his desk chair and contemplates sitting there and in the bottom left of the shot there is a chair with 4 false legs, and one large leg running down the middle. (00:08:20)
Answer: Because Raj's selective mutism seems to be caused by women that Raj sees (on some sort of conscious or subconscious level) as a potential sexual partner. An attribute that wouldn't apply to either his sister or mother.