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Bridging temperament and the Big Five in children: A genetically informative study
Margarete E Vollrath1, Espen Moen Eilertsen1, Svenn Torgersen2
1Department of Psychology, PROMENTA Research Center, University of Oslo.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|June 13, 2024
Summary
Early childhood temperament and later Big Five personality traits are linked by two core genetic factors. These factors, Stability and Plasticity, explain the shared genetic influences on personality development in children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Genetics
- Personality Science
Background:
- Early temperament influences later personality development, but integrated genetic models are lacking.
- Understanding the genetic underpinnings of both temperament and personality is crucial for developmental research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the shared genetic factor structure of early temperament and the Big Five personality traits in children.
- To investigate the genetic correlations between temperament across development and personality at age 8.
Main Methods:
- Utilized biometric modeling on a large sample (26,354) of twins, siblings, and cousins from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study.
- Collected longitudinal temperament data (ages 1.5-5 years) and Big Five personality data (age 8 years) via maternal ratings.
- Analyzed genetic factor structures and correlations to identify underlying genetic influences.
Main Results:
- Temperament and Big Five personality traits exhibited moderate heritability (around .48 and .45, respectively).
- Strong genetic correlations were found for temperament across time (mean .80).
- Two primary genetic factors emerged, linking early temperament to later Big Five personality, mirroring Digman's Stability and Plasticity metatraits.
Conclusions:
- Childhood temperament and Big Five personality are substantially influenced by shared genetic factors.
- A two-metafactor model (Stability and Plasticity) effectively bridges the genetic basis of temperament and personality.
- This research provides a robust genetic framework for understanding personality development from early childhood.
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