Temperament (Unit 4)

Question 1

What is temperament?

Answer 1

• Involves individual differences in behavioral styles, emotions and characteristic ways in responding in certain situations
• How do you respond to situations
• Refers to how quickly emotion is shown, how strong it is, how long it lasts and soon it fades

Question 2

Chess and Thomas Classification:

Answer 2

1. Easy Child
   - Generally positive mood
   - Quickly established regular routines in infancy and adapts easily to new experiences
   - 40% of children
2. Difficult child
   - Reacts negatively and cries frequently, engages in irregular daily routines and is slow to accept change
   - 10% of children
3. Slow to warm up child
   - basically are hesitant and are cautious, may take longer to feel comfortable and more time to work up in new environments
   - Has low activity level, is somewhat negative and displays a low intensity of mood
   - boredom
   - 15% of children

35% of children do not fall under these categories → may be a mix of these → individual differences/environmental/biological/cultural/socioeconomic factors

Question 3

Kagen’s behavioural inhibition theory:

Answer 3

• introvert, extrovert
• biological and environmental factors in temperament and behaviour
• inhibition to the unfamiliar” -> 7-9 months, 7, 2-3
• Growing up to be … based on being a low risk or high risk child

Kagan found high reactive types who grew to be extroverted due to the environment which nurtured them. He also found the reverse to be true–low reactives who grew to be introverted.

Developed by Kagan, focuses on differences between shy, subdued, timid child vs a sociable, extroverted, bolder children
- Focused on understanding biological and environmental factors contributing to individual differences in temperament and behavior
- Introduced a broad temperament category called “inhibition to the unfamiliar”
- Begin at 7-9 months - inhibited children react to many aspects of unfamiliarity with initial avoidance distress or a subdued effect
- Continues into childhood however become less inhibited by 7 → have more interactions (like going to school)
Found a link between inhibition at age 2-3 to social phobia symptoms at age 7, also a higher risk of developing social anxiety in adolescence and adulthood

Question 4

What is a low risk child?

Answer 4

• Less vulnerable to development of psychological or behavioral issues and more resilient
• Factors → supportive and nurturing family environment, positive early experiences, and minimal exposure to adverse conditions during development
• Characteristics → better emotional regulation, adaptability, and overall psychological well-being compared to high-risk children
• Research → establish a baseline for normal development and to contrast with the outcomes observed in high-risk children
• Looks at both environmental factors and biological
• Studies show how temperament characteristics to tell how people are as an adolescent or adult → making connection to children to adult

Question 5

What is a high risk child?

Answer 5

• More vulnerable to development of certain psychological or behavioral issues due to risk factors
• Factors → genetic predispositions, exposure to adverse environments (poverty, neglect, abuse), or prenatal influences (substance abuse, etc)
• Characteristics → may show increased susceptibility to anxiety, behavioral problems or other challenges compared to low risk
• Research → involved following high risk children to understand how these risk factors impact their developmental trajectories

Question 6

Rothbart & Bates Classification:

Answer 6

1) Extraversion/surgency:
- Approach, pleasure, activity smiling and laughing - uninhibited children fit into this category (?)

2) Negative Affectivity
- Fear, frustration, sadness and discomfort, children are easily distressed, they cry often
- Inhibited children fit in this
Linked to obesity related behaviors later on (research)

3) Effortful and self-control
Ability to use external resources like what their parents taught to regulate emotions

• High effortful control = ability to self-sooth, wait longer to express anger and use self regulatory strategies → better self regulation
• Low effortful control = easily agitated and emotional → does not have as much regulation

Question 7

What are the influences on temperament?

Answer 7

Biological Influence =
Physiological Characteristics:
- High heart rates
- High level of hormone cortisol
- High activity in right frontal lobe
- Excitability of Amygdala (structure of brain that plays a role in fear and inhibition)
- Effortful control linked to brain’s frontal lobe → neuroplasticity which sometimes can cause permanent changes (drugs)

Gender & Cultural Influences =
Parents react differently based on a child’s gender:
- In one study, mother’s responded more frequently to the cry of an irritable girl rather than a boy
- For example, behavioral inhibition is highly valued in China in comparison to North America
- Chinese mothers are more patient with the behavior

Question 8

Connection to adulthood and childhood temperament:

Answer 8

• For example, research has linked temperament and personality in adulthood
  a) Easy = Well adjusted adult → able to work on issues better
  b) Difficult = Not as well adjusted (boys were less likely to continue education after high school if they were difficult around 3-5 years of age; while girls experienced marital difficulties)
• Inhibition at age 3 linked to shyness at age 7
• Inhibition links to adults being less assertive
• Another study found uninhibited children has more success with their careers
• Control over emotion was linked to resilience