Temperament Flashcards
What is personality?
an emergent property that is made up of both temperament and the development of an individual character based on their experiences
What is Thomas and Chess’ definition of temperament?
the tendency to respond in characteristic and predictable ways to environmental events
What was the research design of Thomas and Chess’ study?
longitudinal study in which they conducted clinical interviews with mothers of 2 to 3 month old infants, then continued interviewing children into infancy to adulthood
What 9 dimensions did researchers assess in children in the Thomas & Chess study?
- activity level
- biological rhythmicity
- approach/withdrawal
- adaptability
- intensity of reaction
- quality of mood
- persistence/attention span
- distractability
- sensory threshold
What were the three temperament profiles in Thomas and Chess’ study?
(in order from most common to least common)
- flexible (easy)
- fearful (cautious)
- feisty (difficult)
What characteristics made up the flexible temperament profile?
- regular rhythms
- positive mood
- adaptability
- low intensity
- low sensitivity
What characteristics made up the fearful temperament profile?
- adapts slowly
- withdraws
What characteristics made up the feisty profile?
- active
- intense
- distractible
- sensitive
- irregular
- moody
What was Kagan’s definition of temperament?
behavioral inhibition: a temperament that reflects one’s tendency to withdraw from unfamiliar people, situations, or things
What characterizes inhibited temperament within 4 month olds?
upset at novel stimuli
What characterizes inhibited temperament within 1-2 year olds?
shy, fearful of unfamiliar situations, people, toys
What characterizes inhibited temperament within 4.5 year olds?
little talking or smiling with strangers
What characterizes uninhibited temperament within 4 month olds?
no negative reaction to novelty
What characterizes uninhibited temperament within 1-2 year olds?
little fear of new situations or people
What characterizes uninhibited temperament within 4.5 year olds?
spontaneous talking, smiling
What behavior did the unreactive infant exhibit at ten years old when in a room with the researcher?
made conversation, talking and laughing
What behavior did the reactive infant exhibit at ten years old when in a room with the researcher?
uncomfortable, short responses, antsy
What is heterotypic continuity?
same temperament presents itself differently as different traits throughout infancy, childhood, and adulthood
What is the function of the amygdala?
responsible for emotional responses and autonomic responses to fear (i.e. fight or flight)
How does the amygdala control inhibition?
fear response is prematurely triggered consistently over time
True or False:
There is no sensitive period for amygdala development.
False
There is a sensitive period for the amygdala’s development before the age of 4.
When is the most rapid rate of amygdala development?
early postnatal period
The amygdala is more activated within uninhibited/inhibited individuals.
inhibited
What is Fox’s definition of temperament?
the tendency to express particular emotions with a certain intensity that is unique to each individual
What is emotion?
reflects a kind of motion outward
calls us to action
What three characteristics describe emotion?
- inferred
- reactive
- functional
What is the importance of emotion?
- essential for survival
- help us navigate the world
- rapid system
True or False:
Emotions work faster than cognitive processes.
True
What two components make up emotion processing?
reactivity and regulation
What is reactivity?
individual differences in the emotional arousability of a child
how easily the child is moved to action
What is regulation?
individual differences in managing these reactive emotional tendencies
What are Rothbart’s 4 dimensions of temperament?
- low reactivity/low regulation
- low reactivity/high regulation
- high reactivity/low regulation
- high reactivity/high regulation
What characterizes low reactivity/low regulation?
- withdrawn
- not excited by surroundings
- don’t take any action
What characterizes low reactivity/high regulation?
- more fearful and controlled
- not easily impressed
- high level of regulation
What characterizes high reactivity/low regulation?
- risk of developing attention/hyperactivity problems
- stimulation easily excites them
- lack self-regulation toward adpative goals
What characterizes high reactivity/high regulation?
- optimal temperament
- easily impressed by events in environment
- self-regulate and use excitement toward goal-directed behavior
The ____ is responsible for reactivity.
The ____ is responsible for regulation.
amygdala;
prefrontal cortex
How do infants self- regulate before their prefrontal cortex is developed?
- newborns: caregivers help infants self regulate by controlling exposure to stimulating events
- 6 months: avert gaze and self-soothing
- 1-2 years: turn attention to non-distressing objects or people to distract themselves
True or False:
Self-regulation increases with age.
True
How do the prefrontal cortex and amygdala work together?
the prefrontal cortex facilitates or attenuates the amygdala during emotional regulation
It is easier to ____ negative emotions.
increase
What is top-down regulation?
prefrontal cortex activates the amygdala to regulate emotions
i.e. decreasing negative emotions
What is bottom-up regulation?
reflexive/autonomic processes are processed by the amygdala
i.e. increasing negative emotions
True or False:
Temperament is an exclusively genetic phenomenon.
False
Temperament is an interaction of genes and the environment.
What did the Rhesus monkeys experiment tell us about temperament?
prenatal environment affects temperament
