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Related Experiment Videos

Temperament and early experience form social behavior.

Nathan A Fox1

  • 1Institute for Child Study, Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, 3304 Benjamin Building, College Park, MD 20742-1131, USA. nf4@umail.umd.edu

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|April 20, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Temperament, or behavioral style, identified in infancy predicts later behavioral inhibition. This early temperament is linked to neural fear systems and increases risk for anxiety and social withdrawal in children.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Behavioral neuroscience
  • Individual differences research

Background:

  • Temperament, defined as individual behavioral style, is identifiable in infancy and influences adult personality.
  • Individual differences in response to stimuli impact learning and vocational choices.
  • Previous research suggests temperament is stable across development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify a specific infant temperament characterized by distress to novelty.
  • To investigate the developmental trajectory of this temperament into behavioral inhibition.
  • To explore the biological underpinnings and long-term risks associated with this temperament.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal observation of infant responses to novel stimuli.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Assessment of behavioral inhibition in social situations.
  • Neurobiological investigations linking temperament to fear response systems.

    • Main Results:

    • A distinct infant temperament involving heightened distress to novelty was identified.
    • Infants with this temperament were more likely to develop behavioral inhibition, particularly in social contexts.
    • This temperament is biologically linked to neural systems involved in fear responses.

    Conclusions:

    • Early temperament, specifically distress to novelty, is a predictor of behavioral inhibition.
    • Behavioral inhibition is associated with an increased risk for anxiety and social withdrawal.
    • Understanding the biological basis of temperament is crucial for identifying at-risk children.