Abstract
Behavioral inhibition is one of the most important dimensions of temperament that has a pervasive and long-term impact on individual personality and social functioning.The present study examined the stability of behavioral inhibition,based on laboratory observations,in a sample of children in China from two to seven years of age. The participants in the initial study included 124 children at two years.Among them,103 participated in a follow up study at four years,and 100 at seven years.There were 113 children who took part in the laboratory observation at least once at 2,4 and 7 years,and the complete longitudinal sample consisted of 89 children. The results indicated that the stability of behavioral inhibition of Chinese children from 2 to 7 years was generally weak.From 2 to 7 years,31.5%(28) of the children were classified as the stable group and 68.5%(61) as the unstable group.With the increase of age from 2 to 7 years,there was a tendency for children in the extremely inhibited and uninhibited groups to change toward the middle group.However,from 2 to 4 years,behavioral inhibition in the extreme groups was more stable than that in the middle group.There was no sex difference in the behavioral inhibition from 2 to 7 years.The results might be related to the influence of the macro-level social and cultural changes in the society.
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