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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
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Behavioral approach-inhibition in toddlers: prediction from infancy, positive and negative affective components, and

Samuel P Putnam1, Cynthia A Stifter

  • 1Department of Psychology, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME 04011-8469, USA. sputnam@bowdoin.edu

Child Development
|February 8, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Early childhood temperament, including positive and negative affect, influences later behavior. Shorter infant reaching latencies predict positive outcomes, linking early temperament to later behavior problems.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Child behavior research

Background:

  • Temperament is a foundational aspect of personality.
  • Understanding early predictors of behavior problems is crucial for intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between early infant temperament and later behavioral outcomes.
  • To identify distinct developmental trajectories of child behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study observing 126 children from infancy to 2 years.
  • Measured object-reaching latencies, affect, and behavioral approach-inhibition.
  • Utilized confirmatory factor analysis and cluster analysis.

Main Results:

  • A three-dimension model of positivity, negativity, and behavioral approach-inhibition was identified.
  • Early reaching latency predicted later positivity and low negativity.
  • Affect dimensions correlated with externalizing and internalizing behaviors.

Conclusions:

  • Infant temperament, specifically reaching latency, is a significant predictor of later behavioral adjustment.
  • Distinct behavioral profiles, such as 'exuberant' and 'inhibited' groups, emerge by age two.
  • Early affect and behavioral inhibition are linked to specific behavior problem clusters.

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