1. Individual Differences in Emotion
Temperament: Biologically based individual differences in emotional characteristics and other behaviors
Show consistency across situations
Moderately stable over time
But temperament characteristics also often show changes over time

2. Temperament Dimensions:
Fearful distress/Behavioral Inhibition
Irritable distress
Attention span/persistence
Activity level
Positive affect

3. Measurement of Temperament
Parent report
Questionnaires
Structured Observation
Psychophysiological Methods
heart rate, brain wave activity, hormone levels

5. Temperament and Later Adjustment “Difficult” temperament may include:
High irritable distress or fearful distress
Low attention span/persistence
High activity level
Low positive affect

6. Difficult temperament in infancy/preschool period is correlated with adjustment problems later in life (adolescence, adulthood)
But some infants/children with difficult temperament characteristics do not show adjustment problems later in life

7. Goodness-of-Fit
Degree to which a child’s temperament is compatible with the expectations of the social environment (including the family environment)
Poor goodness-of-fit likely to result in adjustment problems for children