Lecture on Temperament in Children

Introduction

• Presented by Dr. Alexander Thomas and Dr. Stella Chess.
• Temperament differs from abilities, intelligence, and motivation.
• Focus: Understanding individual differences in children.

Key Concepts

• Temperament: Style with which a child behaves.
• Traditional views often blamed parents for deviant behavior, but this isn't always true.
• Temperament involves several traits that make each child unique.

Nine Temperament Traits

1. Sensitivity:
   • Amount of stimulus needed to evoke a response.
   • Some infants react to sunlight with a blink; others scream.
2. Intensity of Reaction:
   • Energy level of response.
   • High intense child may laugh loudly; low intense child might smile quietly.
3. Activity Level:
   • Preference for activity levels in games and sports.
   • Highly active children may move around a lot, while low active children may sit still for long periods.
4. Adaptability:
   • Response to changes and new situations.
   • Some children adapt quickly, others slowly.
5. Approach/Withdrawal:
   • First response to new stimuli.
   • Some children are comfortable with new situations immediately; others are cautious.
6. Persistence:
   • Ability to continue an activity until completion.
   • A persistent child does not get easily interrupted.
7. Rhythmicity:
   • Regularity of biological rhythms (e.g., sleep-wake cycle, eating patterns).
   • Some children are very regular; others are not.
8. Quality of Mood:
   • Frequency of pleasant and joyful behavior versus unpleasant.
   • Some children are generally happy, others more often unhappy.
9. Distractibility:
   • Ease of being drawn away from an activity.
   • Some children focus despite distractions; others get easily sidetracked.

Understanding Temperament

• Every child possesses all nine traits to varying degrees.
• Combinations of these traits form a child’s unique behavioral style.

Influences on Child Behavior

• Temperament clusters aren't the sole factor for behavior problems.
• Goodness of Fit: How well parents' and teachers' responses align with the child's temperament is crucial.

Conclusion

• Recognizing and understanding temperament helps in better managing child behavior.
• Encourages parents and educators to adapt to the individual differences in children's temperaments.