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Lecture notes of 7 pages for the course PSYC 1010 at Ebor
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Introduction To TemperamentWhat is Temperament?;
● Why are children so different? Because each has his or her own temperament! This
accounts for why infants and children need to be raised in different ways. Parenting
methods and techniques must be compatible with their personalities.
● Temperament is important to parenting because we need to:
○ Know the proper parenting techniques and how to discipline
○ Know how it affects the parent's view of the child and themselves as parents.
How Parents Respond is Essential;
● Since parents can't change or determine the child's temperamental style, parenting
needs to be molded around the child's temperament.
● Parents who try to make the child fit their concept of the 'perfect child' usually end up
feeling very frustrated.
● A better approach is to observe and learn about the infant's behavioural style and then
change the way the parent reacts to the situation.
Types of Temperament;
● Easy children: Calm, happy, adaptable, regular in sleeping and eating habits, positive
in mood and interested in new experiences.
● Difficult children: Often fussy, irregular in feeding and sleeping habits, low in
adaptability, fearful of new people and situations, easily upset, high strung, and intense
in their reactions
● Slow to warm up children: Relatively inactive, reflective, tend to withdraw or to react
negatively to novelty, but their reactions gradually become more positive with experience
Understanding Temperament: Article
● Parenting is one of the toughest jobs around. Guiding children in today's world takes a
huge amount of physical and emotional energy. Parenting is a lively dance involving the
interplay between the child's style and the parent's approach and responses.
What is Temperament?;
● Children are born with their natural style of interacting with or reacting to people, places,
and things—their temperament.
● In the late 1950s, temperament research began with the work of Alexander Thomas,
Stella Chess, and associates.
○ The New York Longitudinal Study identified nine temperament characteristics or
traits.
○ The researchers found that these nine traits were present at birth and continued
to influence development in important ways throughout life.
○ By observing a child's responses to everyday situations, the researchers could
assess these temperaments.
, ○ Findings: Temperament is stable and differs from personality, which is a
combination of temperament and life experiences, although the two terms are
often used interchangeably.
● Since the 1950s, many scientific studies of temperament have continued to show that
children's health and development are influenced by temperament.
● We all know children who are much more challenging to deal with than other children,
starting at birth.
● The realization that many behavioural tendencies are inborn—and not the result of bad
parenting—is perhaps one of the most important insights parents gain from learning
more about temperament.
Temperament Traits;
● The examination of a child's temperament generally occurs when the child's behaviour is
difficult.
● Clinicians use a series of interviews, observations, and questionnaires that measure the
nine temperament traits using a spectrum (scale) indicating mild to intense responses or
reactions.
● By understanding temperament, the parent can work with the child rather than trying to
change his or her inborn traits. The nine temperament traits and an explanation of the
dimensions are given below.
○ Activity: Is the child always moving and doing something OR does he or she
have a more relaxed style?
○ Rhythmicity: Is the child regular in his or her eating and sleeping habits OR
somewhat haphazard?
○ Approach/withdrawal: Does he or she "never meet a stranger" OR tends to shy
away from new people or things?
○ Adaptability: Can the child adjust to changes in routines or plans easily or does
he or she resist transitions?
○ Intensity: Does he or she react strongly to situations, either positive or negative,
OR does he or she react calmly and quietly?
○ Mood: Does the child often express a negative outlook OR is he or she generally
a positive person? Does his or her mood shift frequently OR is he or she usually
even-tempered?
○ Persistence and attention span: Does the child give up as soon as a problem
arises with a task OR does he or she keep on trying? Can he or she stick with an
activity for a long time OR does his or her mind tend to wander?
○ Distractibility: Is the child easily distracted from what he or she is doing OR can
he or she shut out external distractions and stay with the current activity?
○ Sensory threshold: Is he or she bothered by external stimuli such as loud
noises, bright lights, or food textures OR does he or she tend to ignore them?
Temperament Types;
● These traits combine to form three basic types of temperaments. Approximately 65
percent of all children fit one of three patterns. Forty percent of children are generally
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