Chapter 10: temperament

temperament

biologically based individual differences in emotion, behavior, motor, and self-regulation

• emerge in early life and infancy

• seed personality grows from

Thomas & Chase infant groups

categorized babies based on temperament

easy babies

adjust quickly, establish daily rotuines, calm and cheerful

difficult babies

slow to adjust, react negatively, irregular

slow to warm babies

somewhat difficult, becomes easier with repeated contact

dimensional approach

views temperament as continuous traits, based on a scale (graded, likert scale)

negative affectivity

fear, frustration, sadness

• measured on dimensional approach

extraversion

activity, positive anticipation

• measured on a dimensional approach

effortful control

attention, regulation

• measured on dimensional approach

Temperament influence on development

temperament factors into emotional regulation, factors into self-regulation and mental health outcomes

equfinality

Concept various causes can lead to the same outcome

multifinality

concept that certain risk facotsr don’t lead to the same outcome

goodnes of fit

degrees an individual’s characteristics are comparable with the demands of enviornment

differential susceptibility

reflects the idea that some kids show increased effects to enviornment while some show less

stress

physiological reaction to changes/threats

toxic stress

experience of overwhelming stress without support to help mitigate effects

adverse childhood experience

traumatic events/conditions experienced before 18