Chapter 10: Section 10.2 Temperament – Flashcards
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Temperament
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Behavioral styles which are fairly stable across situations and are biologically based. These differences in emotions and style of behavior are evident in the first few weeks after birth and are important throughout life.
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Is it true that temperament is rooted in biology?
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Yes
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Who are Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess?
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They pioneered the study of temperament with the New York Longitudinal Study, which traced the lives of 141 individuals from infancy through adulthood.
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What happened during the New York Longitudinal Study?
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Thomas and Chess interviewed parents about their babies and had individuals unfamiliar with the children observe them at home.
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What did Thomas and Chess discover from the New York Longitudinal Study?
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From the observations and interviews, Thomas and Chess suggested that infant's behavior varies along 9 temperamental dimensions. One of the temperamental dimensions was activity another was persistence.
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Activity
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Refers to an infant's typical level of motor activity.
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Persistence
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Refers to the amount of time that an infant devotes to an activity when obstacles are present.
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Temperament in childhood is more influenced by heredity than temperament in infancy? T/F
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True
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How can the environment effect temperament?
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1. Temperament can be affected directly by parent's behavior. 2.The environment can amplify the genetic effects of temperament through various mechanisms. 3. Temperament may make some children susceptible to environmental influences.
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When combining all nine dimensions, what are the three patterns of temperament that Thomas and Chess identified.
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1. Easy babies 2. Difficult babies 3. Slow to warm up babies
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Easy babies
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These babies were usually happy and cheerful, tended to adjust well to new situations, and had regular routines for eating, sleeping, and toileting.
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Difficult babies
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These babies tended to be unhappy, were irregular in their eating and sleeping. And often responded intensely to unfamiliar situations. It is one of the less common groups.
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Slow to warm up
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Just like difficult babies they were often unhappy. But unlike difficult babies, slow to warm up babies were not upset by unfamiliar situations.
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What is the definition of temperament according to modern day scientists?
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Temperament are biologically based differences in infants' and children's emotional reactivity and emotional self-regulation.
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Do scientists agree on the number and nature of the dimensions that make up temperament?
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No
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What are the three different dimensions of temperament that Mary K. Rothbart devised in her theory?
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1. Surrgency/extraversion 2. Negative affect 3. Effortful control
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Surgency/extraversion
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Refers to the extent to which a child is generally happy, active, vocal, and regularly seeks interesting stimulation.
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Negative affect
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Refers to the extent to which a child is angry, fearful, frustrated, shy, and not easily soothed.
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Effortful control
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Refers to the extent to which a child can focus attention, is not readily distracted, and can inhibit responses.
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Is it true that the dimensions that Rothbart devised are evident throughout life?
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Yes, however they are not independent. For example, infants who are high on effortful control tend to be high on surgency/extraversion and low on negative affect.
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T/F: Parent-child interactions represent a two way street in which interactions are most successful when both parties-child and parent-adjust to the needs of the other.
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True
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Is it true that temperament in childhood is more influenced by heredity than is temperament in infancy?
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True
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List three ways how the environment affects temperament.
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1. By parents. Ex: infants with high levels of negative affect are more likely to elicit harsh parenting. 2. The environment can amplify genetic effects of temperament through various mechanisms. 3. Temperament may make some children susceptible to environmental influences. (As is the case with the DRD4 gene)
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Is DRD4 a temperament gene?
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No, but it is linked to behaviors that make up temperament.
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Describe the stability of temperament:
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Temperament is somewhat stable throughout infancy but becomes more stable in the preschool years.
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What is the direct link of temperament to personality?
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Temperament dimensions provide a well defined path to personality traits.
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What is the indirect link of temperament to personality?
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A child's temperament helps shape environmental influences, and these experience can determine the course of personality development. temperament->environmental influences -> personality
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Is it true that the influence of temperament often depends on the environment?
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Yes
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Under what circumstance is resistant temperament more likely to lead to behavior problems?
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When mothers do not exert much control over their children. (They are permissive in their parenting style)
