Temperament Flashcards

1
Q

Temperament

A

An individual’s basic behavioral style; believed to have strong genetic component & be primary contributor to personality

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2
Q

Thomas & Chess’s Basic Temperament qualities

A

activity level; approach/withdrawal; adaptability

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3
Q

What do Thomas & Chess propose as an important factor in healthy psychological development?

A

The match between a child’s temperament & parents’ behavior toward the child

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4
Q

How has the genetic nature of temperament been studied?

A

Twin studies that show that identical twins are more similar in terms of temperament then fraternal twins

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5
Q

What kind of studies provide evidence for the continuity of between temperament & personality?

A

Studies that report strong relationship between early childhood temperament & personality characteristics assessed in later childhood, adolescence, & adulthood; Kagan’s study

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6
Q

Describe Kagan’s study of the continuity between temperament & personality

A

2 groups children into early adolescence & found 1/3 of shy, fearful, inhibited 2 year-olds continued to be sullen & inhibited at age 13; while 1/2 of outgoing, uninhibited, sociable 2 year-olds were enthusiastic & highly extroverted 13 year olds

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7
Q

How does temperament fluctuate during the 1st year of life?

A

Remains relatively stable; however, temperament is more stable over lifespan when measured after children have reached 2 y.o.

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8
Q

Is temperament prior to age 1 a good predictor of temperament in childhood, adolescence, & adulthood?

A

No

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9
Q

What are the 9 dimensions of temperament that Thomas & Chess distinguish between?

A

(1) activity level
(2) rhythmicity
(3) approach/withdrawal
(4) adaptability
(5) threshold of responsiveness
(6) intensity of reaction
(7) quality of mood
(8) distractibility
(9) attention span/persistence

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10
Q

Based on Thomas & Chess’s research, what three groups based on temperament can children be categorized into?

A

(1) Easy children
(2) Slow-to-warm-up children
(3) Difficult children

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11
Q

Description of Easy Children

A

Usually cheerful, have reactions to new stimuli that are low to moderate in intensity, adapt easily to changes, and have regular feeding & sleeping schedules

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12
Q

Description of Slow-To-Warm-Up-Children

A

Often sad or tense, have low-intensity reactions to new stimuli, take time to adapt & change, & initially withdrawal from new experiences; have variable feeding & sleeping schedules

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13
Q

Description of Difficult Children

A

Respond to new experiences with irritability, difficult to soothe, very active, have irregular feeding & sleeping schedules

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14
Q

What does Thomas & Chess’s model of development assume?

A

Healthy psychological development requires goodness of fit between child’s temperament & environmental factors (especially behaviors of child’s parents)

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15
Q

According to Thomas & Chess’s model, what is maladjustment caused by?

A

Poorness of fit between child & environment

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16
Q

To what kinds of programs have Thomas & Chess applied their model?

A

To the design of prevention & intervention programs for children

17
Q

On what do prevention & intervention programs based on Thomas & Chess’s model focus?

A

Focus on modifying behaviors & overt attitudes of parents to better fit child’s temperament