Derivation and prediction of temperamental types among preschoolers.

The number and nature of temperamental types in 488 children aged 3 years 6 months was examined on the basis of a broad set of temperamental characteristics, including positive and negative emotionality and the attentional and behavioral control domains. Configural frequency analysis methods showed clear support for two temperament types: controlled-nonexpressive and noncontrolled-expressive. These types showed meaningful differences against external criteria related to a wide range of problem behaviors from the emotional, social, and attentional domains. The reports of problem behaviors were obtained contemporaneously from fathers and caregivers. These findings replicated a year later when children were aged 4 years 6 months. Furthermore, the findings showed that infant and toddler-age temperamental characteristics differentiated these preschool-aged types. The authors discuss the implications of the results for a categorical view of temperament-personality.     

Playing it cool: Temperament, emotion regulation, and social behavior in preschoolers

The contributions of temperamental styles and emotional coping strategies to the development of preschoolers' social competence and behavior problems were investigated. The ability to cope with emotion was found to be more important than temperament alone in the development of prosocial behavior. Our results indicate that the use of passive coping strategies may play a significant role in the development of maladaptive behaviors in young children. Specifically, the use of passive coping strategies was found to moderate the relationship between temperament dimensions in predicting externalizing and internalizing maladaptive behaviors. When combined with extremely negative temperamental dispositions, just facing the problems was discovered to be beneficial for preschoolers, which encourages the use of preventative or interventional strategies in the classroom to develop constructive emotion regulation skills in young children.     

Temperament and loving-styles in college women: associations with eating attitudes

The purpose of the present study was to examine the associations of temperament and love attitudes with eating behaviors in 190 college-aged nonclinical women who completed a survey that included measures of temperament, loving-style, and eating attitudes. Certain temperament and loving-style variables showed significant statistical association with scores on eating attitudes. Specifically, both obsessive and game-playing love-styles were related to the Dieting and Bulimia-Food Preoccupation dimensions of the eating scales, while temperamental fear and anger were related to bulimia and oral control. The role of interpersonal relationships and self-perceptions of temperament may provide a useful perspective for understanding the etiology of eating disorders.     

教养方式、气质对青少年攻击的影响：独特、差别与中介效应检验

运用“多前因变量－多结果变量”框架, 探讨教养方式、气质对青少年直接和间接攻击有无独特效应与差别效应, 以及规范信念(认为攻击他人是正确和可接受的)在其中的中介作用。660名青少年(平均年龄14.14岁, 女生364人)报告了教养方式、气质特征、攻击信念和攻击行为的情况。多重和多元回归分析表明：(1)教养方式(权威、专制、纵容)对直接攻击独特效应不显著, 气质(意志控制、愤怒挫折、感觉寻求)对直接攻击有独特效应; 教养方式(权威、专制、纵容)和气质(意志控制、感觉寻求)对间接攻击有独特效应。(2)教养方式(权威、专制、纵容)与直接攻击的联系显著弱于其与间接攻击的联系, 而气质(愤怒挫折、感觉寻求)与直接攻击的联系则显著强于其与间接攻击的联系。(3)两类规范信念与两类攻击具有不完全的特异性联系, 而且直接规范在气质(意志控制、感觉寻求)与两类攻击之间具有中介作用, 间接规范在教养方式(权威)与间接攻击、气质(愤怒挫折)与两类攻击之间具有中介作用。因此, 教养方式和气质对不同形式攻击行为的影响不同, 且这种影响可以部分地由规范信念加以解释。     

Characteristics of Athletes’ Approach to the Question of Physical Health and Health Behaviors: Do Athletes Lead Healthy Lifestyles?

Athletes are people for whom physical health is a key value. Health promoting behaviors are an integral part of athletes’ success. The aim of this article is to identify health criteria and health-related behaviors among athletes and their determinants in terms of temperament and personality features. The concept of healthy lifestyle as understood by athletes and their most important health criteria were defined. Neuroticism and extraversion correlated with and were significant predictors of health behaviors; there were no significant relationships between health-promoting behaviors and temperament. Four groups of athletes, each characterized by a different approach to health, were identified. These groups were described with respect to various personality and temperamental determinants. Knowledge about the above-mentioned aspects of athletes’ performance can assist sport psychologists in providing athletes with more personalized support.     

Infant Predictors of Toddler Effortful Control: A Multi‐method Developmentally Sensitive Approach

Effortful control (EC) is a form of self‐regulation characterized by inhibition of dominant responses in favour of more adaptive subdominant responses. In the present study, temperamental antecedents in infancy were examined in relationship to toddler EC. Parents reported on infant temperament at 6, 8, 10, and 12 months, using the regulatory capacity/orienting (RCO) factor of the Infant Behavior Questionnaire‐Revised. Laboratory indicators of this temperamental construct were also collected at each time point via the Temperament Laboratory Assessment. Relations between changes in temperament across the first year of life and toddler EC (mean age = 22 months) were examined using multilevel modelling. Parent‐reported RCO and the component subscale of cuddliness more specifically were the only temperamental variables that prospectively predicted toddler EC. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temperamental consequences of infant difficultness

Two central issues pertaining to the construct of infant temperamental “difficultness” were investigated in this longitudinal project. First, the cross-time convergent validity of two parent-report measures of temperament was examined. Second, the temperamental consequences of difficultness during infancy were studied by prospectively following children from infancy to adolescence. Additionally, using MANOVA and structural equation modeling, gender comparisons were conducted to determine whether or not the construct of difficultness was similar for males and females. Analyses were based on parent reports (Ns=96−110) of infant difficultness on the Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (ICQ) when children were 18 months of age. The nine temperament dimensions of the New York Longitudinal Study model were also assessed by parent report inventories when children were 2, 3, 3.5, 5, 8, 10, and 12 years old. Results showed no pervasive evidence of gender differences in infant difficultness. Convergent validity between the ICQ and subsequent temperament measures was evidenced by significant cross-time canonical correlations reaching to moderate magnitude and significant bivariate correlations between infant difficultness and specific temperament dimensions. Temperamental difficultness during infancy predicted subsequent adverse temperamental qualities such as unadaptability and negative mood at every age from 2 through 12 years.     

幼儿气质、教师期望和同伴接纳对自我控制的影响

通过对684名3-5岁幼儿进行同伴提名和问卷测量,考察气质、教师期望和同伴接纳对自我控制的影响,结果发现：（1）气质、教师期望和同伴接纳各维度不同程度地预测幼儿自我控制。（2）气质、同伴接纳、教师期望交互作用于自我控制,其中同伴接纳是有调节的中介变量,其既是气质反应性、专注性和教师对幼儿日常习惯期望影响自我控制的部分中介变量,又同时受到气质情绪性的调节。（3）社会抑制性与教师对幼儿人际互动的期望交互作用于自我控制。     

Social Development of Preschool Children in Croatia: Contributions of Child Temperament, Maternal Life Satisfaction and Rearing Practices

We conducted the present study to examine the relationship of maternal characteristics (estimated happiness and life satisfaction, and child-rearing practices) and children’s temperament to conduct problems and prosocial behavior of preschool children in Croatia. Participants were mothers of 258 children (mean age 61.62 months), who gave their estimations on the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Subjective Happiness Scale, the Parental Behaviour Questionnaire, the EAS Temperament Survey and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. After analyzing correlations between all the variables included in research, we conducted two hierarchical regression analyses with implementation of predictor variables in 4 stages (socio-demographic variables; mothers’ estimated happiness and life satisfaction; child temperament; mothers’ parenting). In the final step of regression significant predictors of preschoolers’ conduct problems were children’s age, temperamental emotionality and activity, and mothers’ punishment and inductive reasoning. When predicting children’s prosocial behavior, significant predictors were mothers’ inductive reasoning and warmth, and children’s age and temperamental shyness.     

气质与童年早期的师生关系:家庭情感环境的作用

通过对118名幼儿的父母和教师间隔两年的追踪研究,考察了气质对童年早期师生关系的直接预测作用,以及气质与家庭情感环境在预测师生关系中的交互作用。结果发现:(1)控制先前的师生关系、性别、月龄、母子关系及家庭情感环境后,气质活动水平、节律性、趋避性对两年后的师生关系有显著的直接预测作用;(2)三种气质与家庭情感环境的交互作用对两次测量的师生关系也有显著的预测作用。这些发现同时支持了气质影响儿童发展的直接作用模型和交互作用模型。     

Experimental evidence for spatial learning on octopuses (octopus bimaculoides)

Octopuses forage far from temporary home dens to which they return for shelter. Spatial tasks may assess learning. Octopuses (Octopus bimaculoides) were placed in a novel arena, and their movements were tracked for 72 hr. Movements around the arena decreased across time, consistent with exploratory learning. Next, octopuses were given 23 hr to move around an arena; after a 24-hr delay, their memory of a burrow location was tested. Most remembered the location of the open burrow, demonstrating learning in 1 day. Finally, octopuses were trained to locate a single open escape burrow among 6 possible locations. Retention was tested after a week and was immediately followed by reversal training (location rotated 180 degrees ). Octopuses learned the original location of the burrow, remembering it for a week. Path lengths increased significantly after reversal, gradually improving and showing relearning. Octopuses show exploratory behavior, learning, and retention of spatial information.     

Octopuses (Octopus bimaculoides) and cuttlefishes (Sepia pharaonis, S. officinalis) can conditionally discriminate

In complex navigation using landmarks, an animal must discriminate between potential cues and show context (condition) sensitivity. Such conditional discrimination is considered a form of complex learning and has been associated primarily with vertebrates. We tested the hypothesis that octopuses and cuttlefish are capable of conditional discrimination. Subjects were trained in two maze configurations (the conditions) in which they were required to select one of two particular escape routes within each maze (the discrimination). Conditional discrimination could be demonstrated by selecting the correct escape route in each maze. Six of ten mud-flat octopuses (Octopus bimaculoides), 6 of 13 pharaoh cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis), and one of four common cuttlefish (S. officinalis) demonstrated conditional discrimination by successfully solving both mazes. These experiments demonstrate that cephalopods are capable of conditional discrimination and extend the limits of invertebrate complex learning.     

青少年的气质与烟酒使用:交互效应检验

考察气质(意志控制、愤怒挫折、感觉寻求)对青少年烟酒使用的主效应,气质与教养方式(权威、专制、纵容)对烟酒使用的交互效应以及气质间的交互效应.采用随机整群抽样的方法,选取660名青少年为被试,匿名完成气质问卷、教养方式问卷和烟酒使用问卷.结果显示:(1)在控制了性别、年龄、社会经济地位后,气质对青少年烟酒使用具有预测作用,低意志控制、高愤怒挫折、高感觉寻求正向预测烟酒使用;(2)教养方式调节部分气质因素与烟酒使用的关系,具体为:权威和专制教养缓冲感觉寻求的风险作用,符合风险缓冲模型;纵容教养增强感觉寻求的风险作用,符合风险增强模型;(3)气质内部在影响青少年烟酒使用时也存在交互作用,愤怒挫折增强感觉寻求的风险作用,符合风险增强模型.因此,烟酒使用是气质与教养方式及气质间交互作用的产物.     

Early Temperament and Attachment Security with Mothers and Fathers as Predictors of Toddler Compliance and Noncompliance

This longitudinal study (n = 106) examined associations between temperament, attachment, and styles of compliance and noncompliance. Infant negative temperamental reactivity was reported by mothers at 3, 5 and 7 months. Infant attachment was assessed (Strange Situation) at 12 (mothers) and 14 months (fathers). Toddlers' styles of compliance/noncompliance were measured using two laboratory contexts (clean‐up/delay) at 20 months. Results indicated that temperament and attachment predicted toddler behaviour. Toddlers who were secure with mothers and low in temperamental negative reactivity showed more committed compliance than those who were insecure and low in negative reactivity or secure and high in negative reactivity. In addition, interactions revealed that relations between infant–mother attachment and defiance depended on infant–father attachment security, temperament and context. Findings highlight the differential and complex roles of temperament and attachment as potential precursors of later social competence. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relations between cyclothymic temperament and borderline personality disorder traits in non-clinical adolescents

ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to examine the relation between cyclothymic temperament and borderline personality disorder traits in adolescents and to identify a typology of adolescents based on temperamental traits (cyclothymic temperament and BPD traits).Participants and methodsA sample of 312 adolescents completed several questionnaires assessing cyclothymic temperament, borderline personality disorder traits, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, antisocial behaviors and frequency of cannabis use.ResultsThe Cyclothymic-Hypersensitive Temperament (CHT) questionnaire and the Borderline Personality Features Scale for Children (BPFS-C) were highly correlated which suggests that these scales may measure the same construct. Factor analyses of the pooled items of both scales yielded two factors, ‘anger–impulsivity’ and ‘affective instability’, both composed half of items from both scales. The relation between these traits and suicidal ideation was fully mediated by depressive symptomatology. Cluster analysis showed that these traits may occur independently and that adolescents with both traits had the highest levels of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideations and antisocial behaviors.DiscussionThe CHT questionnaire and the BPFS-C may measure the same construct which appeared relevant for defining a subgroup of adolescents with high levels of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideations and antisocial behaviors.     

The Interaction Between Child Behavioral Inhibition and Parenting Behaviors: Effects on Internalizing and Externalizing Symptomology

Both child temperament and parenting have been extensively researched as predictors of child outcomes. However, theoretical models suggest that specific combinations of temperament styles and parenting behaviors are better predictors of certain child outcomes such as internalizing and externalizing symptoms than either temperament or parenting alone. The current qualitative review examines the interaction between one childhood temperamental characteristic (child behavioral inhibition) and parenting behaviors, and their subsequent impact on child psychopathology. Specifically, the moderating role of parenting on the relationship between child behavioral inhibition and both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology is examined, and the methodological variations which may contribute to inconsistent findings are explored. Additionally, support for the bidirectional relations between behavioral inhibition and parenting behaviors, as well as for the moderating role of temperament on the relationships between parenting and child outcomes, is briefly discussed. Finally, the clinical applicability of this overall conceptual model, specifically in regard to future research directions and potential clinical interventions, is considered.     

Expectation and temperament moderate amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex responses to fear faces

A chronic tendency to avoid novelty is often the result of a temperamental bias called inhibited temperament, and is associated with increased risk for anxiety disorders. Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that an inhibited temperament is associated with increased amygdalar blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) response to unfamiliar faces that were not expected; however, the effects of variations in expectancy remain unknown. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we studied BOLD response to infrequently encountered fear faces that were either expected or not expected in 42 adults with an inhibited or an uninhibited temperament. Individuals with an inhibited temperament had greater amygdala, but less dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), BOLD response when the stimuli were expected. In contrast, those with an uninhibited temperament had a smaller amygdala but larger dorsal anterior cingulate cortex BOLD response when expecting to see fear faces. These findings demonstrate temperament differences in expectancy effects and provide preliminary evidence for the dACC as a neural substrate mediating differences in inhibited temperament. Enhanced amygdala sensitivity coupled with weak inhibitory control from the dACC may form a neural circuit mediating behaviors characteristic of inhibited temperament and risk for anxiety disorders.     

The Relation of Parental Emotionality and Related Dispositional Traits to Parental Expression of Emotion and Children's Social Functioning

The purpose of this study was to test relations between parental temperamental emotionality and regulation or related personality characteristics and parental behavior, children's regulation, and children's social functioning. Mothers and fathers reported on their own personality and/or temperament and expressivity in the family (mothers only); parents and teachers rated children (71 girls and 99 boys; M age = 73 months) on their temperamental regulation, social competence, and problem behavior. Mothers also were observed interacting with their child, and behavioral measures of children's regulation were obtained. In general, high parental regulation and low negative emotionality were associated with positive developmental outcomes in children and more positive parental behaviors, and mothers' expression of positive emotion in the family mediated some of the relations of their dispositions to children's socioemotional functioning.     

The relationship between temperamental dimensions and inhibitory control in early childhood: Implications for language acquisition

The present study investigates the latent organization of inhibitory control in children aged between 2;3 and 3;0 years. In addition, it explores the relationships between temperament dimensions - social orientation, motor activity, and attention -, inhibitory control and language. One-hundred-twelve typically developing children were evaluated with tasks for inhibitory control and lexical skills, while ratings of temperament and language were collected from their caregivers. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis reveals that inhibitory control seems to be best described by a unitary dimension. A Structural Equation Model suggests that 78 % of the variance in vocabulary is explained by a model considering the language observed measures, the three temperamental dimensions, and inhibitory control and in which both temperamental attention and the latent dimension of inhibitory control are significantly related to vocabulary. In addition, inhibitory control does not mediate the relationship between temperament and language.     

The effect of neonatal temperament on caregiver behavior in the newborn nursery

The research was conducted to determine whether temperamental characteristics of neonates influence caregiver behavior as early as the second day of life. Visual attentiveness, activity, and irritability of 28 healthy newborns were rated during six 30-minute sessions. Derived scores represented the infant's behavior during the total observation time and during specified caretaking activities. Several categories of nurturant behaviors and types of comments directed toward each infant by nurse-caregivers were coded during independent sessions. Variations in caregiver behavior were shown by Pearson correlations to be related to independently assessed differences among neonates. Alert babies received the most nurturant and social contact; active infants received the least contact, but the most comments that reflected concern about their health; irritable infants were soothed most. The data clearly suggest that emerging infant temperament plays a role in shaping the caregiving environment by the second day of life.