temperament and development Flashcards
what is temperament?
the first expression of our individuality and the first personal psychological characteristics that defines our uniqueness as a person
describe fearful distress
wariness, distress and withdrawal in new situations
describe irritable distress
fussiness, crying when frustrated
describe positive affect
sociability, getting on with others
describe activity level
amount of gross motor activity (kicking, crawling)
describe attention span
persistence of focus on objects of interest
describe rhythmicity
regularity of bodily functions- sleeping, eating etc
describe the New York longitudinal study by Thomas and Chess
138 individuals from birth to adulthood
behavioural style recorded
identified 9 constituents of temperament
3 temperament styles: easy children, difficult children, slow- to- warm- up children
what is an easy child?
regular behaviour, positive approach, high adaptability to change, positive mood (40% of sample)
what is a difficult child?
opposite of easy child, irregularity of behaviour, negative to new experiences, low adaptability to change, intense/ negative mood experiences (10%)
what is a slow- to- warm- up child?
mild negative responses to new stimuli, adapt very slowly after repeated contact (15% of sample)
what do temperamental variations do?
reflect underlying genetic differences tempered by their different environmental experiences
what is the goodness of fit model?
reflects the match between the child’s temperament and key properties of the environment
when does GOF happen?
parent’s desires and expectations of their child has to fit with the child’s temperamental characteristics
what is temperamental predictability?
influences children’s relationships with their teachers and impacts on educational achievement
