1. TEMPERAMENT
• Stable individual differences in characteristic mood, activity level and emotional reactivity.
• Individual differences are present very early in life – perhaps at birth
Key dimensions of temperament – Thomas, Chess & Birch, 1970
• Activity level
• Rhythmicity (regularity in biological functioning)
• Distractibility
• Approach/withdrawal
• Adaptability
• Attention span and persistence
• Intensity of reaction
• Threshold of responsiveness (easily bothered by external stimuli such as loud noises, bright lights, or
food textures OR tendency to ignore them?)
• Quality of mood
Individual differences in dimensions
Thomas & Chess suggested many infants can be divided into three basic groups:
1) Easy children
2) Difficult children
3) Slow-to-warm-up children
Easy Children (40%):
• Generally cheerful
• Adapt readily to new experiences
• Can quickly establish routines for many activities of daily life
Difficult Children (10%):
• Irregular in daily routines
• Slow to accept new situations or experiences
• Show negative reactions more than other infants
Slow-to-warm-up Children (15%):
• Relatively inactive and apathetic
• Shows mild negative reactions when exposed to unexpected events or new situations
• Will ‘warm up’ to gradual change
The remaining 35% of infants cannot be readily classified under one of these headings. May be a mix
Stability
• Research findings suggests only moderately stable early in life – from birth – 24 months
• Appears to be highly stable after 24 months based on longitudinal research of 133 infants (Korn, 1984)
• Different aspects of temperament may be influenced by genetic and environmental factors
Implications

2. • Social development – much higher proportion of difficult than easy children experience behavioural
problems later in life.
• More difficulty adjusting to school, forming friendships and getting along with others.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Table 1: Arrival times of infant emotional expressions (adapted from R.J. Trotter, 1983)
Expression of emotions Approximate time of emergence
Interest Present at birth
Neonatal smile
Startled response
Distress (in response to pain)
Disgust (in response to unpleasant taste or smell)
Social smile 4-6 weeks
Anger 3-4 months
Surprise
Sadness
Fear 5-7 months
Shame/shyness/self-awareness 6-8 months
Contempt 2nd year of life
Guilt
CRYING
Four types:
1) rhythmical cry – also known as hunger cry
2) angry cry – forces excess air through the vocal cords
3) pain cry – sudden onset of loud crying
4) cry of frustration – first two or three cries are long and drawn out