Roundtable: What Is Temperament? Four Approaches

Goldsmith, H. Hill; Buss, Arnold H.; Plomin, Robert; Rothbart, Mary K.; Thomas, Alexander; Chess, Stella; Hinde, Robert A.; McCall, Robert B.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1987.tb01398.x

Cited by 216 publications

(284 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Although still without a precise and universally accepted definition, 12 the commonly used term 'temperament' generally refers to variations in behavioral predispositions, which are rooted in distinct neurophysiological substrates. 6 The emergence of stable individual differences in neurobehavioral functioning before birth provides the basis for individual differences in reactivity and regulation in infancy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Twins’ temperament: early prenatal sonographic assessment and postnatal correlation

et al. 2009

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Objective: To study inter-twin differences in activity during early pregnancy and to examine their relationship to subsequent infant twins' temperament.Study Design: Measures of fetal motor activity (frequency, duration and number of movements) were collected from 26 twin pairs during ultrasound nuchal translucency scan at late first trimester and early second trimester (11 to 14 weeks gestation). In twenty-two patients, the twins were dizygotic (dichorionic); of them, 13 twin pairs were of different sexes, five were both females and four were both males. Of the four monozygotic twin pregnancies, two were dichorionic and two were monochorionic, three were both females.The more active fetus in each pair was noted according to the position and/or sex without reporting to parents. Reported maternal perception of the more active twin was documented at the mid-trimester anatomical scan.Maternally reported postnatal temperament data of the infants were collected at 3 and 6 months, using Rothbarts' Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ).Results: After birth, maternal reports on infants' temperament and the more active twin in each pair were in good correlation with prenatal inter-twin differences in activity. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves shows a better performance of ultrasound compared with maternal perception in prediction of the more active twin. Conclusions:The features of fetal neurobehavioral activity provide the basis for individual differences in twins' activity in infancy. Differences in activity in early pregnancy even before the emergence of fetal behavioral patterns were followed by temperamental differences postnatally. Keywords: twins; temperament; ultrasound; fetal movements; activity Introduction Fetal motor activity seems to predict temperament attributes related to regulatory behaviors in early childhood. 1 Using fourdimensional (4D) ultrasonography for the assessment of fetal behavior, a continuity from fetal to neonatal behavior was shown, 2 especially in terms of isolated eye blinking movements, mouth and eyelid opening, yawning, tongue expulsion, smiling, scowling and hand movements directed to other parts of the face.Physiological markers of individual differences in infant temperament are identifiable in the fetal period, and are possibly shaped by the prenatal environment. 3 Twins' gestations provide an opportunity to study the behavioral differences between pairs. Temperament variations were studied from the neonatal period to childhood. [4][5][6][7] Twin and adoption studies suggest that individual differences in infant and child temperament are genetically influenced. 8 Developmental aspects of behavioral organization were investigated in fetuses during the second and third trimester. Fetal behavioral states were defined according to the pattern and sequence of fetal motor activities throughout this period. [9][10][11] However, behavioral state variables before 36 weeks of gestation are not synchronized.Our objective was to study inter-twin differences in activity during e...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Twins’ temperament: early prenatal sonographic assessment and postnatal correlation

et al. 2009

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“…The degree of association has stirred both methodological and theoretical debate about the distinction between these supposedly independent domains (Frick, 2004). Complicating matters further is the fact that the definition of temperament remains somewhat elusive (Rothbart, 2004), although there is at least some consensus that temperament refers to individual differences in emotional reactivity and regulation that can be observed early, are moderately stable, and under at least some genetic influence (Goldsmith et al, 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the boundary between temperament and generalized anxiety disorder: A receiver operating characteristic analysis

Rettew

Doyle

Kwan

et al. 2006

Journal of Anxiety Disorders

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Studies of individuals with an increased tendency to experience negative emotions such as fear, sadness, and anger have documented links between this temperamental trait and anxiety disorders. There exists debate, however, concerning the degree to which high levels of a temperamental trait are a necessary and/or sufficient component of a DSM diagnosis. In this study, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses assessed the relations between levels of harm avoidance (HA) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) diagnoses in 334 children and their parents. Analyses revealed HA scores to be highly predictive of GAD diagnoses in children (AUC = .791, P <.001) and adults (AUC = .818, P <.001). However, there were many individuals with high HA scores who did not qualify for a GAD diagnosis. These findings suggest that while there are strong associations between HA and GAD, high levels of HA are neither necessary nor sufficient in the formation of clinically significant anxiety symptoms.

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“…There are numerous approaches to conceptualizing temperament. However, temperament is generally defined as the physiological basis for the motivational, affective, and regulation components of personality (Goldsmith et al, 1987). Temperament is characterized as physiologically based, relatively consistent over time, and modifiable by the environment and socialization experiences (Rothbart & Bates, 1998).…”

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confidence: 99%

Growth in temperament and parenting as predictors of adjustment during children's transition to adolescence.

Lengua¹

2006

Developmental Psychology

288

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The author examined relations among demographic risk (income, maternal education, singleparent status), growth in temperament (fear, irritability, effortful control), and parenting (rejection, inconsistent discipline) across 3 years and the prediction of children's adjustment problems in a community sample (N = 190; ages 8-12 years at Time 1). Family income was related to higher initial levels of fear, irritability, rejection, and inconsistency and lower effortful control but was not related to changes in these variables. Higher initial rejection predicted increases in child fear and irritability. Higher initial fear predicted decreases in rejection and inconsistency. Higher initial irritability predicted increases in inconsistency, and higher initial effortful control predicted decreases in rejection. When growth of parenting and temperament were considered simultaneously, increases in effortful control and decreases in fear and irritability predicted lower Time 3 internalizing and externalizing problems. Increases in rejection and inconsistent discipline predicted higher Time 3 externalizing, although sometimes the effect appeared to be indirect through temperament. The findings suggest that temperament and parenting predict changes in each other and predict adjustment during the transition to adolescence. Keywords demographic risk; temperament; parenting; adjustment problems; early adolescence Both parenting (Frick, 1994;Loeber & Stouthamer-Loeber, 1986; Maccoby & Martin, 1993) and temperament (Rothbart & Bates, 1998;Sanson, Hemphill, & Smart, 2004) are important predictors of children's adjustment, and their effects are additive, with each contributing unique variance above the other (e.g., Bates, Pettit, Dodge, & Ridge, 1998;Halpern, Garcia Coll, Meyer, & Bendersky, 2001;Rubin, Hastings, Chen, Stewart, & McNichol, 1998;Smith & Prior, 1995). Moreover, transactional models in which parenting and child characteristics are mutually influential have been suggested to explain the development of adjustment problems (e.g., Halpern et al., 2001;Maccoby, 1992;Reiss & Price, 1996;Rothbart & Bates, 1998;Sanson et al., 2004). However, few studies have examined the relations between temperament and parenting during the transition to adolescence using longitudinal, growth analyses. In fact, data on the development of temperament and NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript parenting during this transitional period are sparse (e.g., Conger, Lorenz, & Wickrama, 2004). This study examines changes in parenting and temperament as predictors of children's adjustment problems during middle childhood and early adolescence.Temperament is believed to play an important role in children's social and personality development and psychological adjustment Hartup & van Lieshout, 1995;Prior, 1992). It is thought to directly affect children's social, personality, and psychological development and influence or moderate key socialization experiences, such as parent-child relationships and stressful...

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Roundtable: What Is Temperament? Four Approaches

Cited by 216 publications

References 34 publications

Twins’ temperament: early prenatal sonographic assessment and postnatal correlation

Twins’ temperament: early prenatal sonographic assessment and postnatal correlation

Exploring the boundary between temperament and generalized anxiety disorder: A receiver operating characteristic analysis

Growth in temperament and parenting as predictors of adjustment during children's transition to adolescence.

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