Low Intensity Pleasure Research Articles

Prenatal Gut Microbiota Predicts Temperament in Offspring at 1-2 Years.

The purpose of this study was to explore whether prenatal gut microbiota (GM) and its functions predict the development of offspring temperament. A total of 53 mothers with a 1-year-old child and 41 mothers with a 2-year-old child were included in this study using a mother-infant cohort from central China. Maternal fecal samples collected during the third trimester were analyzed using 16S rRNA V3-V4 gene sequences. Temperament of the child was measured by self-reported data according to the primary caregiver. The effects of GM in mothers on offspring's temperament were evaluated using multiple linear regression models. The results demonstrated that the alpha diversity index Simpson of prenatal GM was positively associated with the activity level of offspring at 1year (adj. P = .036). Bifidobacterium was positively associated with high-intensity pleasure characteristics of offspring at 1year (adj. P = .031). Comparatively, the presence of Bifidobacterium found in the prenatal microbiome was associated with low-intensity pleasure characteristics in offspring at 2years (adj. P = .031). There were many significant associations noted among the functional pathways of prenatal GM and temperament of offspring at 2years. Our findings support the maternal-fetal GM axis in the setting of fetal-placental development with subsequent postnatal neurocognitive developmental outcomes, and suggest that early childhood temperament is in part associated with specific GM in the prenatal setting.

Mother–child similarity during observed interactions: Links with mother and child effortful control

AbstractObjectiveWe examined whether mothers' and child's regulatory capacity, measured by effortful control (EC) and its facets, is associated with variance in mother–child within‐dyad similarity in multiple aspects of positive emotions and behaviors during their interaction.BackgroundBoth parents' and children's self‐regulation capacities may help them to modulate their behaviors and emotions to be mutually responsive to and harmonious with their interaction partner.MethodsParticipants were children of 3‐ to‐7‐year‐olds and their mothers (n = 147). Mothers completed a set of questionnaires regarding themselves, their child, and demographics, and mother–child interactions were observed during three cooperative tasks. We estimated mother–child within‐dyad similarity during their brief interaction using the Q‐correlation method.ResultsMothers' general EC was statistically associated with greater mother–child similarity, but children's EC was not. When testing the subscales of EC, greater mother–child similarity was associated with mother's higher attentional control, child's better attention focusing, child's lower levels of low intensity pleasure, and older child age.ConclusionMother's higher attentional control and child's better attention focusing are associated with greater mother and child within‐dyad similarity during their interactions.ImplicationsThis study highlights the importance of considering child and mother self‐regulation for intervention efforts to better understand how dyads match and co‐modulate their behaviors and emotions during their interactions.

Preterm infant body composition, working memory, and temperament

Altered body composition in preterm infants is associated with risks to cognitive development, but the effect specific to prefrontal cortex (PFC) development is unknown. We were interested in the impact of fat mass (FM) and fat free mass (FFM) gains out to 4 months corrected gestational age (CGA) on PFC development, as indexed by working memory and temperament. This is a prospective observational pilot study recruiting 100 preterm (<33 weeks gestation), appropriate for gestational age, and very low birth weight infants, of which 49 infants met inclusion criteria. Body composition was measured using air displacement plethysmography at hospital discharge and 4 months CGA. Questionnaire based temperament assessments were completed at 12 and 24 months CGA and a working memory assessment was completed at 24 months CGA. Associations between developmental tests and body composition obtained at term and 4 months were analyzed. Increased FM at discharge was associated with increased fear and decreased soothability at 12 months. Increased FM at 4 months was associated with increased activity level, increased distress from limitations at 12 months and decreased attentional shifting, decreased frustration, and decreased inhibitory control at 24 months. Increased FFM at 4 months was associated with increased activity level at 12 months and increased impulsivity and decreased low intensity pleasure at 24 months. In this exploratory pilot study, increased FM out to 4 months and increased FFM after discharge are associated with negative markers of infant temperament. Infant temperament may be sensitive to body composition status at least to 4 months CGA.

Predicting preschool children's self-regulation from positive emotion: The moderating role of parental positive emotion socialization

Guided by the broaden-and-build model, the role that both parent and child positivity play in supporting children's self-regulation was examined. Specifically, parental positive emotional expression and emotion coaching were predicted to moderate the association of children's positive emotions to their self-regulation. Parents rated preschool-aged children's (n = 156) high-intensity and low-intensity pleasure. Parents’ positive emotional expression and emotion coaching were coded in an emotion talk task where parents discussed an upsetting event with children. Children's regulation was measured through observed distraction in a frustration task and parental rating of effortful control. Children's high-intensity pleasure was negatively associated with effortful control, whereas low-intensity pleasure was positively related to effortful control. Parents’ positive emotional expression when discussing an upsetting event was positively associated with children's distraction and effortful control and moderated the relation of child low-intensity pleasure to distraction. Parents’ positive emotion coaching was negatively related to children's effortful control and moderated the relation of children's low-intensity pleasure to distraction. Findings support the idea that parents’ socialization of positive emotion is related to children's own low-intensity positive emotion and their self-regulation during early childhood, which is a foundational period for the development of children's self-regulation.

Temperament Characteristics of Preschoolers and Maternal Acceptance and Rejection Statuses of Their Mothers

The study was conducted to examine the relationship between maternal acceptance-rejection and children’s temperament characteristics and whether children’s temperament characteristics predicted maternal acceptance-rejection. The data of the study, which employed a predictive correlational design, were obtained from 349 children in the 4-6 age group attending preschool education and their mothers. The data were collected using the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist and analyzed using Pearson’s Correlation Analysis and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis. As a result of the study, a significant relationship was found between maternal acceptance-rejection and all temperament traits except discomfort, fear, shyness, impulsivity, and approach/positive participation. It was also found that maternal coldness and lack of affection were predicted by perceptual sensitivity, low-intensity pleasure, and smiling and laughter, maternal hostility and aggression were predicted by falling reactivity and soothability, maternal indifference and neglect were predicted by sadness, and maternal undifferentiated rejection was predicted by the temperament characteristics of attentional focusing and anger/frustration.

Associations Between Gut Microbes and Social Behavior in Healthy 2-Year-Old Children.

Emerging research has connected abundances of specific bacteria to differences in psychosocial behaviors in animals and adult humans. However, research assessing mind-microbiome associations in children is sparse with extant work primarily focused on populations with autism, making it unclear whether links are also present in typically developing children. The current study fills this gap by examining associations between prosocial-self-regulating temperaments (effortful control; EC) and the gut microbiome in typically developing children. Maternal ratings of temperament were assessed in 77 toddlers 18 to 27 months of age (46.7% female, mean age = 23.14 months). Next-generation pyrosequencing of the V1-V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene was used to classify children's gut microbial composition from fecal samples. EC included the following subcategories: cuddliness, attentional focusing, attentional shifting, inhibitory control, and low-intensity pleasure. After adjusting for covariates, EC was positively associated with relative abundances of Akkermansia (Δ R2 = 0.117, b = 0.022, SE = 0.007, p = .002), with cuddliness (i.e., joy and ease of being held) driving the relation. Furthermore, attentional focusing was negatively associated with Alistipes (Δ R2 = 0.062, b = -0.011, SE = 0.005, p = .028). Permutational analysis of variance revealed no significant differences in community structure between high and low EC groups on the phylum level ( R2 = 0.00372, p = .745) or the genus level ( R2 = 0.01559, p = .276). Findings suggest that certain microbes may be linked to prosocial behaviors used to regulate emotion in typically developing children. Further research is needed to test whether these observations replicate in larger samples.

TEMPERAMENTAL DIMENSIONS AMONG YOUNG STUTTERERS AND TYPICALLY DEVELOPING CHILDREN

Objective: To compare the temperamental characteristics of children who stutter with those who do not stutter.&#x0D; Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad, from Jun to Nov 2018.&#x0D; Methodology: We recruited 120 children of both genders aged 3-8 years. Sample recruited included two groups including 60 children with stuttering (CWS) and 60 children with no stuttering (CWNS), using consecutive sampling. After taking consent, data was gathered using demographic sheet and Children Behavioral Questionnaire (CBQ) from the sample population. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS-21.&#x0D; Results: The sample included 82 (68.3% males and 38 (31.7%) female children. t-test results of children with stuttering and children with no stuttering showed statistically significant difference for effortful control (p&lt;0.05) including dimension of inhibitory control, low intensity pleasure and perceptual sensitivity. However, the values for Surgency Extraversion and Negative affectivity were not statistically significant though results showed higher and lower mean scores respectively for stutterers compared to non-stutterers. However, the dimensions of anger, frustration, discomfort and falling reactivity showed statistically significant difference (p&lt;0.05).&#x0D; Conclusion: Children with stuttering and children with no stuttering differ in their temperamental characteristics with statistically significant difference for effortful control with lower control in stutterers.

Evaluating the Association Between Maternal Peripartum Care Interruptions and Infant Affect: A Longitudinal Study

The effect of maternal COVID-19 pandemic-related stress during pregnancy on children born during this time is unknown. We aimed to evaluate whether maternal stress related to disruption in birth experiences during the pandemic was associated with infant temperament. Data were drawn from the NYU COVID-19 and Perinatal Experiences (COPE) Study (3/2020-7/2021) that addressed perinatal care disruptions during the height of the pandemic in New York City. Any negative birth experience (e.g., limited support people at delivery, neonate separation, etc.) was defined as a perinatal stressor. To measure infant temperament, mothers completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) at 6 months of age for their infants. To characterize infant temperament, we used three broad components of the IBQ-Very Short Form: Negative Emotionality (NEG), Positive Affectivity (PAS), and Orienting and Regulatory Capacity (ORC). We examined the associations using ANOVA, t-test, Χ2, & Fisher’s exact test with significance defined as p < 0.05. There were 83 mother-infant pairs with complete COPE and IBQ survey data. Table 1 shows that the groups with and without a stressor had similar demographics. ORC scores were higher in infants of mothers with perinatal stress (adjusted mean ORC scores = 5.4 ± 0.1 v. 5.1 ± 0.1, p = 0.01). There was no significant difference between PAS and NEG scoring between groups. (Table 2) Maternal birth experience stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic were positively associated with infant ORC. Higher ORC scores reflect positive infant regulatory function, including soothability, cuddliness and low-intensity pleasure. Disruptions in perinatal care were not associated with infant temperament measures of PAS or NEG. Thus, there is no clear association between the acute stress of COVID pandemic-related care disruptions and infant temperament. However, these data indicate that maternal care may vary with pandemic experiences, which may be an important avenue for further investigation.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

Subgroups of Temperament Associated with Social-Emotional Difficulties in Infants with Early Signs of Autism.

Links between temperament and social-emotional difficulties are well-established in normative child development but remain poorly characterized in autism. We sought to characterize distinct temperament subgroups and their associations with concurrent internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a sample of 103 infants (Mage = 12.39 months, SD = 1.97; 68% male) showing early signs of autism. Latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups of infants with distinct temperament trait configurations on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised. Derived subgroups were then compared in terms of internalizing and externalizing symptoms on the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment. Three distinct temperament subgroups were identified: (a) inhibited/low positive (n = 22), characterized by low Smiling and Laughter, low High-Intensity Pleasure, low Vocal Reactivity, and low Approach; (b) active/negative reactive (n = 23), characterized by high Activity Level, high Distress to Limitations, high Sadness, high Fear, and low Falling Reactivity; and (c) well-regulated (n = 51), characterized by high Cuddliness, high Soothability, and high Low-Intensity Pleasure. There were no differences in infant sex ratio, mean age or developmental/cognitive ability. Inhibited/low-positive infants had significantly more behavioral autism signs than active/negative reactive and well-regulated infants, who did not differ. Inhibited/low-positive and active/negative reactive infants had higher internalizing symptoms, relative to well-regulated infants, and active/negative reactive infants also had higher externalizing symptoms. These findings align closely with those garnered in the context of normative child development, and point to child temperament as a putative target for internalizing and externalizing interventions. LAY SUMMARY: This study explored whether infants with early signs of autism could be grouped according to temperament characteristics (i.e., emotional, behavioral, and attentional traits). Three subgroups were identified that differed with respect to emotional and behavioral difficulties. Specifically, "inhibited/low-positive" infants had high emotional difficulties, "active/negative reactive" infants had high emotional and behavioral difficulties, while "well-regulated" infants had the lowest difficulties.

0999 Predictors Of Natural Resolution Of Behavioral Sleep Problems In Early Childhood

Abstract Introduction Primary care providers are often unsure which patients require treatment for behavioral sleep problems of early childhood vs. which are likely to improve without intervention. Given limited treatment resources as well as the time and cost burden that intervention can pose for families, it may be helpful to identify the predictors of children whose behavioral sleep problems are likely to resolve -- and stay resolved -- without active intervention. Methods Here, we use the control arm of a randomized trial of 2.5 to 5 year-old community-recruited children with behavioral sleep problems to examine the natural history of behavioral sleep problems and the predictors of resolution. Of 217 families in the control arm, 146 had inadequate mean sleep duration at baseline (&amp;lt; 10.5 hours/night per diary) and were eligible for inclusion in the analysis. Data were drawn from sleep diaries and parent report surveys conducted at baseline, 3 and 12 months. Improvement was defined as increased duration by either at least 60 min from baseline or by 30 min to at least 10.5 hours/night. We conducted an exploratory logistic regression to identify predictors of natural resolution. Results Of the 146 eligible families, 130 had follow-up data at both 3 and 12 months and were included in this analysis. Of those 130, only 22 (17%) had substantially improved sleep by 3 months follow-up, and 10 of these continued to have improved sleep duration at 12 months. The strongest predictors of natural improvement both at 3 and 12 months were female child sex, having either infant or school-aged siblings, CBQ low-intensity pleasure score (i.e., children who tend to respond positively to cuddling, reading, and other gentle activities), mean duration of sleep onset latency per diary, parent-reported parasomnias on the CSHQ, and age under 4 years. Conclusion These findings suggest that contrary to common beliefs of both primary care providers and parents, relatively few children will experience a clinically meaningful improvement in sleep duration without intervention. Support This work is supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health &amp; Human Development (NICHD): 5R01HD071937.

ADHD and ODD Symptoms in Toddlers: Common and Specific Associations with Temperament Dimensions.

The aim of this work was to study the relationship between temperament and signs of psychopathology in typically developing toddlers. More specifically, Attentional Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) symptoms were analyzed in connection with fine-grained temperament dimensions. The sample was composed of 65 toddlers aged between 18 and 35months. Bivariate correlations showed that higher levels of negative emotionality and approach tendencies, and lower levels of inhibitory control, were related to more ADHD and ODD manifestations. Bivariate correlations also indicated unique associations: lower levels of soothability were associated with higher ODD symptoms, whereas lower attentional focusing and low-intensity pleasure were related with higher ADHD symptoms. Additionally, regression and path analysis models indicated that ADHD was predominantly associated with attentional focusing and motor activation whereas ODD was most closely related to frustration. Our findings highlight the relevance of studying early correlates of psychopathological manifestations to identify children who could benefit from prevention and early intervention programs.

Similarities and differences between western cultures: Toddler temperament and parent-child interactions in the United States (US) and Germany

Parents play a critical role in shaping social-emotional development, particularly in early childhood; however, children’s influence on their own development is equally important. Parent-child interactions, fundamental to secure attachment and social schemes, represent a critical area of social-emotional development subject to child effects associated with temperament. The present study explores these effects through a cross-cultural lens via comparisons of dyads from the United States (US) and Germany. Specifically, cross-cultural differences in toddler temperament were evaluated via the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ; Putnam et al., 2006), with cross-cultural variability in parent-child interactions examined as well, along with differences in child temperament effects on the quality of these interactions. Ratings of temperament were generally similar between the two cultures; however, US toddlers were rated higher in attention shifting, whereas German children were rated higher on soothability and perceptual sensitivity. Additionally, dyadic interactions in the US were rated as more stimulating and demonstrating greater partner engagement than those in Germany. Differential contributions of temperament to interaction quality and complexity were also observed. Higher ratings of toddler discomfort and perceptual sensitivity predicted more stimulating interactions overall in the US but not Germany. In contrast, higher ratings of toddler low-intensity pleasure predicted more stimulating interactions in Germany but not the US. Overall, the present study identifies many similarities between US and German toddlers and supports theories describing children as active agents in shaping their own development, in what appears to be a different manner across cultures.

Interaction between effortful control and parenting as factors of child mental health

The study examined interactions between parenting and child effortful control in the prediction of problem behavior in Russian preschoolers in parent reports of 28-year-old children (N = 652). Effortful Control and its components, inhibitory control, attentional control, low-intensity pleasure, and perceptual sensitivity, were measured by the Very Short Form of the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ-VS). Positive parenting, punishment, and inconsistent discipline were measured by the Alabama Parenting QuestionnairePreschool Revision (APQ-R). Externalizing problems, internalizing problems, total difficulties, and impact of problems on the child’s life were measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The results indicated that effortful control and perceptual sensitivity interacted with parental punishment to predict externalizing problems and total difficulties such that temperament was more strongly related to problem behavior when parents used more punishment. In a similar way, inhibitory control was more strongly related to externalizing problems and their impact on the child’s life when parents used more punishment. The majority of moderating effects were consistent with the diathesis-stress or dual risk model. That is, temperament was more strongly related to externalizing and internalizing problems and their impact on the child’s life when parents used more punishment and were inconsistent in their use of discipline.

Relations of child effortful control to personality, well-being and parenting.

This study examined effortful control and its relations to personality, parenting and well-being in a community sample of Russian preschool children (N = 365, 46% girls) using parent-reported effortful control scale from the very short form of the children's behaviour questionnaire, the inventory of child individual differences-short version, the Alabama parenting questionnaire-preschool revision, the self-reporting questionnaire, and parent and teacher reports on the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. The findings confirmed the four-factor structure of effortful control, including inhibitory control, attentional control, low-intensity pleasure and perceptual sensitivity. Girls demonstrated higher scores than boys on effortful control, perceptual sensitivity, inhibitory control and low-intensity pleasure. Older children scored higher than younger on inhibitory control and perceptual sensitivity and lower on low-intensity pleasure. Gender and age accounted for less than 3% of the variance in effortful control. Effortful control was associated with personality traits of conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness, and with positive emotions and low-negative affect. Higher effortful control was associated with higher levels of prosocial behaviour and lower levels of externalising and internalising problems. Structural modelling showed that the effect of parenting on child prosocial and problem behaviours may be mediated by effortful control.

The relationship between temperament style and understanding of human goal-directed action in infants

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between temperament style and understanding of goal-directed action in 10–11-month-old infants. Infant social understanding was assessed using a looking-time measure similar to Woodward (1998). This method yielded two measures of infant social understanding; ‘decrement of attention’ (a measure of infant attention during habituation) and ‘novelty preference’ (an index of infants’ understanding of goal-directed behavior). Temperament style was provided by online parent report (IBQ; Rothbart, 1981). Infant shy/fearful temperament predicted decrement of attention scores. Novelty preference was also marginally related to shy temperament, but more strongly associated with low intensity pleasure, specifically enjoyment of physical contact with caregivers. Moreover, shy temperament continued to predict infant social understanding even when controlling for the effect of non-social intelligence (ASQ; Squires, et al., 2009). In our study, as in research with preschool-aged children (Wellman et al., 2011; Mink et al., 2014), shy, reticent temperament style is associated with social information processing, providing further evidence for continuity in individual differences in social cognition in early childhood.

Temperamental markers in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder.

Although temperament has been recognized as an important contributor to childhood psychopathology, its role in emergent autism spectrum phenotypes is not well understood. This study examined whether toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display temperamental vulnerabilities compared to toddlers with other developmental challenges, whether these characteristics are distinct from core autism symptoms, if they are stable over time, and if they contribute to social outcomes in preschool. Parents of 165 toddlers with ASD, 58 nonverbal ability- and chronological age- (CA) matched developmentally delayed (DD) toddlers, and 92 CA-matched typically developing (TD) toddlers completed the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire-Supplemental (TBAQ-S) at 26months (SD=6; Time 1). TBAQ-S data were also available for a subset of toddlers with ASD (n=126) at 43months (SD=9; Time 2). Compared to the DD and TD groups, toddlers with ASD exhibited vulnerabilities within the Effortful Control domain as well as the Surgency domain. They also displayed greater Negative Emotionality compared to TD peers. In the ASD group, temperamental characteristics were not concurrently related to autism severity or developmental level and individual differences were highly stable over time. Changes in Perceptual Sensitivity, Inhibitory Control, and Low-Intensity Pleasure from age 2 to 3.5 uniquely predicted autism symptom severity and adaptive social skill level at Time 2. Temperamental vulnerabilities in toddlers with ASD are stable over time and involve attentional and behavioral control as well as affective reactivity. They contribute uniquely to social outcomes in preschool and are likely to signal risk for developing later maladaptive attentional, affective, and behavioral symptoms. Considering biologically based dimensions may shed light on noncore facets of the early ASD phenotype that are potentially relevant to the emergence of comorbid conditions later in childhood.

Childhood temperament predictors of adolescent physical activity

BackgroundPhysical inactivity is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Many patterns of physical activity involvement are established early in life. To date, the role of easily identifiable early-life individual predictors of PA, such as childhood temperament, remains relatively unexplored. Here, we tested whether childhood temperamental activity level, high intensity pleasure, low intensity pleasure, and surgency predicted engagement in physical activity (PA) patterns 11 years later in adolescence.MethodsData came from a longitudinal community study (N = 206 participants, 53% females, 70% Caucasian). Parents reported their children’s temperamental characteristics using the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) when children were 4 & 5 years old. Approximately 11 years later, adolescents completed self-reports of PA using the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Ordered logistic regression, ordinary least squares linear regression, and Zero-inflated Poisson regression models were used to predict adolescent PA from childhood temperament. Race, socioeconomic status, and adolescent body mass index were used as covariates.ResultsMales with greater childhood temperamental activity level engaged in greater adolescent PA volume (B = .42, SE = .13) and a 1 SD difference in childhood temperamental activity level predicted 29.7% more strenuous adolescent PA per week. Males’ high intensity pleasure predicted higher adolescent PA volume (B = .28, SE = .12). Males’ surgency positively predicted more frequent PA activity (B = .47, SE = .23, OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.02, 2.54) and PA volume (B = .31, SE = .12). No predictions from females’ childhood temperament to later PA engagement were identified.ConclusionsChildhood temperament may influence the formation of later PA habits, particularly in males. Boys with high temperamental activity level, high intensity pleasure, and surgency may directly seek out pastimes that involve PA. Indirectly, temperament may also influence caregivers’ perceptions of optimal activity choices for children. Understanding how temperament influences the development of PA patterns has the potential to inform efforts aimed at promoting long-term PA engagement and physical health.

Relationship between Social Cognition and Temperament in Preschool-aged Children

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between temperament and social cognition, including theory of mind and emotion understanding, in 34 preschool-aged children (aged 3–4 years). Theory of mind was measured with a belief–desire reasoning assessment, and emotion understanding was measured with an affective perspective-taking task. Child temperament was provided by online parent report. Consistent with previous research, theory of mind correlated with shy and socially observant temperament. In contrast, emotion understanding was associated with attention focusing and low intensity pleasure (enjoyment of low arousal activities). Both theory of mind and emotion understanding were positively related to inhibitory control and negatively related to activity level. In sum, theory of mind and emotion understanding, while both associated with executive functioning, correlate with distinct social preference temperament dimensions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Early temperament as a predictor of later personality

This study examined developmental relationships between early temperamental dimensions and later personality traits using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R), the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ) and the Inventory of Child Individual Differences-Short version (ICID-S) in a community sample of 98 children who had participated in a study of early temperament and who provided follow-up data on average seven years later. Analyses revealed a number of significant associations between higher- and lower-order dimensions of early temperament and later personality. Regulatory Capacity in infancy and Effortful Control in toddlerhood were related to personality domain of Conscientiousness, largely due to the contribution of early temperament trait of Low Intensity Pleasure. The findings showed considerable heterotypic continuity of individual differences, both within-domain and cross-domain, and highlighted the predictive effect of early regulatory traits.

Review of Becoming Who We Are: Temperament and Personality in Development, by Mary K. Rothbart

[Author Affiliation]Judith A. Crowell. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York.ISBN: 978-1462508310. New York: Guilford Press, 2012, 324 pages.Address correspondence to: Judith Crowell, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794, E-mail: Judith.Crowell@stonybrookmedicine.eduThe effort characterize temperament has captured interest and attention for at least two millennia. In second century CE, physician Galen described a fourfold typology of temperament: The melancholic, sanguine, choleric, and phlegmatic personality types. Although study of temperament has certainly evolved since that time, our fascination with understanding distinct, innate personality features and their implications, especially for mental health and functioning, has not changed. For child psychiatrists, whose knowledge of field is often confined pioneering work of Chess, Birch, and Thomas in New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS), Becoming Who We Are: Temperament and Personality in Development provides an up-to-date comprehensive, accessible overview of study of temperament. This includes a historical overview and structure and biology of temperament, as well as covering key aspects of development that are affected by temperament, including coping, empathy, and psychopathology.Mary Rothbart's study of temperament began more than 40 years ago when she, like so many others, marveled at differences in personalities of her two children. Indeed most people take this innate aspect of personality as a given; however, definition and measurement of temperament have both proven surprisingly elusive and challenging. No one is better suited providing an overview of this complex domain than Rothbart. She walks reader through many challenges faced by field, arriving at a modern perspective that allows us understand what stable characteristics of temperament (essential definition for many people) are, and what evolves with development.Rothbart draws upon her work with Douglas Derryberry define temperament as constitutionally based individual differences in reactivity and self-regulation (p. 10). Reactivity refers one's disposition to emotional, motor, and attentional reactions as measured by the latency, intensity, peak intensity of reaction, and recovery of reaction (pp. 10-11). Self-regulation refers processes that regulate reactivity such as approach and withdrawal, or attention toward or away from stimuli, and include ability control emotional responses.The structure of temperament emerged through examination of dimensions from NYLS and many other cross-cultural studies of infants and young children. It may surprise many child psychiatrists when Rothbart points out that NYLS dimensions do not hold up as internally consistent scales or characteristics of temperament. Currently, temperament is understood be composed of three factors: Surgency (approach, impulsivity, high-intensity pleasure seeking, activity level), negative affectivity (e.g., fear, anger/frustration, sadness, soothability), and effortful control (inhibition, attention focusing, perceptual sensitivity, and low-intensity pleasure).A major goal of this concise and clearly written work is address concept of fit; that is, how a child's temperament and that child's environment interact lead particular developmental outcomes, both positive and negative. …