Findings that relate cognition and negative affect are not very consistent. However, according to Lazarus (1982) cognitive processes are key to the development and expression of emotions. This study examined the relations between temperament fear reactivity and visual recognition memory at ten months of age. Both behavioral and physiological measurements of fear reactivity and recognition memory were examined in order to further the understanding of temperamental fear in infancy, the relationship temperamental fear reactivity holds with visual recognition memory, and the development of prefrontal and medial temporal areas in the brain. Though both social and non-social fear tasks were examined, only infants who were fearful during stranger approach demonstrated greater novelty preference during the visual paired comparison task. Reactively fearful infants also demonstrated greater left frontal activation during familiarization and recognition memory indicative of better feature discrimination. / Master of Science

Extant research on temperament shows that it may be related to certain developmental outcomes. However, according to the goodness-of-fit hypothesis (Chess and Thomas, 1999), developmental outcomes are the result of how well the biological tendencies of an individual (i.e. temperament) fit with the contextual demands of their environment. Thus, temperament should only affect developmental outcomes as a function of their environmental context. The current study proposes that parent temperament may serve as an environmental context that interacts with adolescent temperament to affect the development of the adolescent emotion regulatory system. Structural equation modeling results revealed parent temperament, specifically parent effortful control, to moderate the relationship between adolescent temperament and the adolescent emotion regulatory system. Several gender differences were also found for both main and interaction effects. Adolescent negative affect was negatively related to emotion regulation for girls only. Parent effortful control moderated the relationship between adolescent effortful control and suppression use also for girls only. Parent effortful control moderated the relationship between adolescent surgency and emotion lability for boys only, and parent effortful control moderated the relationship between adolescent surgency and suppression for both boys and girls, but in opposite directions. The interaction term was negatively related to suppression for girls, and it was positively related to suppression for boys. Results have several implications for potential parenting interventions and may inform programs that teach emotion regulation strategies. / Ph. D.

Personality tests have long been utilized to assist in the assessment of individuals. This study analyzes David Keirsey's temperament types and college students intending to major in accounting. The recruiting and retaining of students with qualities and characteristics desired by the accounting profession has historically presented a challenge for accounting departments in higher education (Corkren, Parks, and Morgan, 2013). Relationships were used to determine similarities between various traits of the respondents. Gender, having taken an accounting related high school course, accounting-related work experience and level of college education were all compared with the expectations of Keirsey's temperament types. Students attending a small liberal arts teaching university (Concord University in Athens, West Virginia) and students attending a large research institution (Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia) were used for the study. A quantitative research design was used to conduct this study. Descriptive statistics were utilized to determine frequencies, averages and variability. Chi-square (χ²) analyzed the number of responses in different temperament categories to determine if actual results were significantly different in determining accounting as a major field of study. Students completed a survey consisting of demographic characteristics and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS II) questionnaire. Personality assessments are increasingly used as a management tool. The findings of this study can benefit employers, college recruiters, educators and students. / Ph. D. / Personality tests have long been utilized to assist in the assessment of individuals. This study analyzes David Keirsey’s temperament types and college students intending to major in accounting. The recruiting and retaining of students with qualities and characteristics desired by the accounting profession has historically presented a challenge for accounting departments in higher education (Corkren, Parks, & Morgan, 2013). Relationships were used to determine similarities between various traits of the respondents. Gender, having taken an accountingrelated high school course, accounting-related work experience and level of college education were all compared with the expectations of Keirsey’s temperament types. Students attending a small liberal arts teaching university (Concord University in Athens, West Virginia) and students attending a large research institution (Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia) were used for the study. A quantitative research design was used to conduct this study. Descriptive statistics were utilized to determine frequencies, averages and variability. Chi-square (χ²) analyzed the number of responses in different temperament categories to determine if actual results were significantly different in determining accounting as a major field of study. Students completed a survey consisting of demographic characteristics and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS II) questionnaire. Personality assessments are increasingly used as a management tool. The findings of this study can benefit employers, college recruiters, educators and students.

M.A. (Information & Knowledge Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The current study examined relations between temperamental reactivity at 6 months and social competence in first grade, including if emotion regulation at 54 months played a role as mediator and/or moderator between temperamental reactivity and social competence in first grade. Previous studies have shown that children who are high on temperamental reactivity early on will have poorer social competence in the future (Houck, 1999). This study explored how emotion regulation might mediate this relationship as well as how emotion regulation may serve as a protective factor (e.g., moderator) for those with higher temperamental reactivity. Important background characteristics of child gender and ethnicity, mother's education, and income-to-needs ratio were controlled for. Results indicated that temperamental reactivity at 6 months did not play a significant role in social competence in first grade, nor on emotion regulation at 54 months. Emotion regulation at 54 months was also found to be neither a mediator nor a moderator between this relationship between temperamental reactivity and social competence. The only significant relationship that was found was that between emotion regulation at 54 months and social competence in first grade, which aligns with previous research. / Graduation date: 2013

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is often present already at preschool age. Previous research has established the association between temperament and broad categories of behavioral disorders. However, no longitudinal research has studied the potential impact of temperament on changes in ODD symptoms in preschool and early school years. Two birth cohorts of 4-year olds living in the city of Trondheim, Norway, were screened for emotional and behavioral problems and a subsample oversampled for such problems was drawn to take part in the study; 82.1% consented. Parents of 1000 children were interviewed with the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment, and ratings of children's temperament were provided using the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ). Children were reassessed after 2 years (N = 797). The temperamental dimensions Surgency (SU) and Negative Affectivity (NA) were positively correlated with initial level of ODD symptoms, and predicted an increase in symptoms from age 4 to 6. High Effortful Control (EC) was associated with little ODD symptoms at age 4, but did not predict change in such symptoms. However, in interaction with NA, EC was associated with lower initial levels of ODD symptoms and predicted a decrease in symptoms from age 4 to 6. More precisely, the protective effect of EC was very strong for children high on NA but lower for children low to moderate on NA. The findings suggest that NA and SU function as risk factors whereas EC protects against ODD in young children. NA serves as a moderator of EC, in that among children high in NA, EC had a large protective effect, whereas among children with lower levels of NA, EC did protect to a lesser degree against ODD symptoms. Results of this study have theoretical implications linking temperament to ODD in preschoolers, and clinical applications utilizing temperament assessment to identify children at risk, prevent development of ODD and match treatment modalities to the child’s specific temperamental strengths and weaknesses.

The problem of this study was to determine if psychiatric registered nurses differ significantly in certain personality and temperament trait characteristics from non-psychiatric registered nurses. The characteristics investigated were scores make on the individual scales of the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey.

Examination of child temperament and early adult-child relationships is of vital importance to children's socio-emotional development, school success, and the prevention of future problem behaviors. In response, the current project examined the interaction of parenting style, child temperament, and the quality of the teacher-child relationship in predicting low-income children's school adjustment. One hundred fifty-four children (70 girls and 84 boys), their parents, lead teachers, and teacher aides participated in this study with data collected in both preschool (Head Start) and in Kindergarten. Parents completed questionnaires pertaining to parenting styles and child temperament, while teachers also completed questionnaires on child temperament, teacher-child relationships, social / behavioral adjustment at school, and academic achievement. Children also reported on their relationships with teachers using a puppet interview format. Analyses indicate that children's effortful control and negative reactivity are associated with a wide range of academic, behavioral, and socio-emotional variables. Results of the current study also provide evidence that negative reactivity, parental hostility, and teacher-child conflict are related to children's social-emotional and academic difficulties; however, effortful control and reduced teacher-child conflict moderate the effects of these negative factors on lowincome preschoolers' school adjustment. Results are discussed in terms of the utility of intervention efforts aimed at reducing negative parent-child and negative teacher-child relationships in order to promote positive school adjustment for low-income children.

O presente estudo teve por objetivo examinar os indicadores de temperamento e comportamento de crianças nascidas pré-termo em comparação a crianças nascidas a termo, assim como nos subgrupos de crianças nascidas pré-termo extremo, muito pré-termo, pré-termo moderado e tardio, na fase de 18 a 36 meses de idade cronológica. Além disso, examinou-se o efeito preditor da prematuridade, dos fatores do temperamento e das variáveis da criança e ambientais no comportamento das crianças. A amostra foi composta por 100 crianças, sendo 50 nascidas pré-termo (PT) que passaram por internação em Unidade de Tratamento Intensivo Neonatal e 50 nascidas a termo (AT), e suas mães. A amostra dos subgrupos de crianças nascidas pré-termo foi composta por 14 crianças nascidas pré-termo extremo (PTE) e 36 crianças nascidas muito pré-termo, pré-termo moderado e tardio (PTM/Mo/Ta). Em ambos os grupos as crianças estavam na faixa de 18-36 meses de idade cronológica. Os dados foram coletados em uma única sessão de entrevista face a face com as mães das crianças PT e de forma autoadministrada com as mães das crianças AT. Aplicou-se as versões brasileiras do Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ), para avaliação do temperamento, e do Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1 ½ -5), para avaliação de problemas de comportamento das crianças. Além disso, foram aplicados questionários de caracterização da amostra e utilizado o Critério de Classificação Econômica Brasil da Associação Brasileira de Empresas e Pesquisa. Foram processadas as análises estatísticas descritivas e inferenciais. Para a comparação entre grupos (PTvs.AT e PTEvs.PTM/Mo/Ta) foram utilizados os testes t-independente de Student e Qui-quadrado. Utilizou-se os testes ANOVA e MANOVA para examinar as potenciais diferenças entre os grupos relacionadas ao temperamento e comportamento das crianças, controlando-se idade da criança, frequência à escola, sexo e nível socioeconômico. Foram realizadas análises de regressão linear múltiplas a fim de encontrar o melhor modelo explicativo das variáveis preditas (problemas de comportamento Totais, Externalizantes e Internalizantes). O nível de significância adotado no estudo foi de p <= 0,05. Em relação ao temperamento, o grupo PT apresentou maior escore nos fatores Afeto Negativo e Extroversão, assim como nas dimensões antecipação positiva, desconforto, sensibilidade perceptual, prazer de baixa intensidade e transferência de atenção, quando comparado ao grupo AT. O grupo PTE apresentou mais sensibilidade perceptual em comparação ao grupo PTM/Mo/Ta. Observou-se que, quanto maior a idade da criança, mais Controle com Esforço, assim como mais aconchego, controle inibitório, medo e antecipação positiva, e menos ativação motora. Quanto ao comportamento das crianças, o padrão de comportamento foi predominantemente normal, em ambos os grupos e subgrupos. Os problemas de comportamento Totais, Externalizantes e Internalizantes foram preditos por mais Afeto Negativo, moderado por menor idade gestacional, e menos Controle com Esforço. Esses achados contribuem para a compreensão do impacto dos riscos do nascimento prematuro nos indicadores disposicionais do temperamento e na constituição dos problemas de comportamento no desenvolvimento das crianças. É importante que programas de follow-up de prematuros considerem as intervenções preventivas de orientações de pais a fim de mediar os processos regulatórios ao longo do desenvolvimento das crianças. / The present study aimed to examine the temperament and behavior indicators of preterm toddlers compared to full-term counterparts, as well as in the subgroups of toddlers born extremely preterm and very preterm, moderate preterm and late preterm, in the phase of 18 to 36 months of chronological age. In addition, we examined the predictive effect of prematurity, temperament factors, and child and environmental variables on children\'s behavior. The sample consisted of 100 toddlers, of whom 50 were born preterm, who were hospitalized in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and 50 full-term (FT) counterparts enrolled in private schools. The sample of subgroups of preterm toddlers consisted of 14 toddlers born extremely preterm (PTE) and 36 toddlers born very preterm, moderate and late preterm (VPT/Mo/La). In both groups, the toddlers were in the range of 18-36 months of chronological age. Data were collected in a single face-to-face interview with the mothers of the PT toddlers and in a self-administered form with the mothers of the FT toddlers. The Brazilian versions of Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ) and Achenbach\'s Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1 ½ -5) were used to assess children\'s temperament and behavioral problems. In addition, questionnaires were applied to characterize the sample and it used the Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria of the Brazilian Association of Companies and Research. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyzes were processed. For the comparison between groups of sociodemographic chacteristics (PTvs.FT and PTEvs.VPT/Mo/La), it was used the ANOVA and MANOVA tests to examine the potential differences between the groups related to temperament and behavior of the children controlling the child\'s age, school attendance, sex, and socioeconomic level. Multiple linear regression analyzes were calculated in order to find the best explanatory model of the predicted variables (Total, Externalizing, and Interalizing behaviors problem). The level of significance adopted in the study was p <= 0.05. Regarding temperament, the PT group presented a higher score in the Negative Affectivity and Surgency factors, as well as in the positive anticipation, discomfort, perceptual sensitivity, low intensity pleasure and attention shifting, than the FT group. The VPT group presented more perceptual sensitivity than the VPT/Mo/La group. It was observed that the greater the age of the child, the more Effortful Control, as well as more cuddliness, inhibitory control, fear and positive anticipation, and less motor activation. Regarding to the behavior of the children, the pattern of behavior was predominantly normal in both groups and subgroups. The Total, Externalizing, and Internalizing behavior problems were predicted by more Negative Affectivity, moderated by lower gestational age, and less Effortful Control. These findings contribute to the understanding of the impact of the risks of preterm birth on dispositional indicators of temperament and the constitution of behavioral problems throughout children´s development. It is important that follow-up programs for preterm infants consider preventive interventions in parental guidance in order to mediate regulatory processes throughout child development.

Temperament research has grown exponentially over the past decades. Diverse though the body of temperament research may be, due to the interest of many fields of study in this construct, fairly considerable areas of consensus in the understanding of temperament as a psychological construct has been achieved over the years. In other words, there is general agreement in the field that the notion that temperament is biological and genetic and that temperament plays a role in developmental contexts. A review of recent temperament research (from 1998 to 2005) was done for this study. An automated search of many databases was conducted, as well as a hand search of well-accredited journals, mostly from the disciplines of developmental psychology and education. Based on selected criteria, 102 studies were chosen for review. The findings of this study, based on an analysis of the selected studies, follow. For example, it was found that the large majority of the studies selected were methodologically sound. It was also noted that the various themes elicited from the analysis tended to follow the trends temperament research was following before 1998, at the beginning of this review. Evidence was also found that suggested there was a shift from using psychomedical frameworks towards constructivist, ecosystemic frameworks for underpinning temperament research, which suggests that contemporary temperament research is more likely to be studied from a developmental stance than it was a few years ago. The findings from this analysis were applied to issues in temperament research and practice in the context of developmental psychology and education.