Temperament in Infancy and Toddlerhood
NARRATOR: Every infant has a unique way of responding to its environment. Some seem to take the world in stride with pleasure. Others are less reactive to their environment and may seem passive or even rejecting. These patterns of responding, called temperament, are biologically based and present at birth.
CHARLES SUPER, Ph.D.: Every child has an individual temperament and other individual characteristics. It's sometimes called a behavioral style. If a child is very happy about something, saying how wonderful this is and they'll be laughing and so on. Whereas a child with a different temperament might be feeling very similar, but not being so active, so intense in communicating that.
NARRATOR: The concept of temperament was developed by two researchers, Stella Chess and Alexander Thomas, who observed these patterns and tendencies in infants and toddlers, and developed the first system to classify them. About 40% of tested babies had positive moods, moderate emotional reactivity, and adapted well to new situations. These are the easy babies. About 10% had very negative moods more often and were easily stressed by new situations. This temperament is called difficult. Around 15%, named slow to warm up, tended to be less active and responsive, and had few intense negative or positive emotions.
More ways to identify temperament have been developed, including observing infants' and toddlers' ability to self-regulate or calm themselves. Questionnaires that gather parent observations are another common method of identifying temperament. Temperament influences how others perceive and interact with an infant or toddler, which, in turn, shapes their experiences.
It's important for caregivers to understand that temperament is biologically based, and to neither judge nor personalize these behaviors. Temperaments are interpreted differently, too, depending on cultural values and environment. In some cultures, a feisty, difficult temperament may be valued more than an easy baby. Caregivers can also try to provide goodness of fit, an important concept that means adapting the environment and routines to better fit an infant or toddler's temperament. Understanding how temperament affects development helps parents and caregivers raise healthy, happy children.