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Infant twins exhibit consistent temperament profiles, with identical twins showing high concordance in irritability and emotional tone. This suggests a core temperament that remains stable over time.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Genetics
Background:
- Temperament is a foundational aspect of infant personality.
- Understanding temperament in twins offers insights into genetic and environmental influences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally assess infant temperament in twins.
- To examine concordance and patterns of change in temperament between monozygotic twins.
Main Methods:
- Recruited infant twins for longitudinal assessment starting at three months.
- Utilized structured laboratory observations and parent-completed Infant/Toddler Temperament Questionnaires.
- Conducted neonatal assessments for initial measures of irritability, reactivity, and soothability.
Main Results:
- High concordance for neonatal irritability and 12-month emotional tone in monozygotic twins.
- Synchronized patterns of temperament change observed between twin pairs.
- Significant correlations between parent questionnaire ratings and laboratory-based temperament ratings.
Conclusions:
- Infant twins demonstrate a core temperament profile with notable consistency.
- Findings support the influence of genetic factors on early temperament development.
- Convergent data from multiple sources strengthen the validity of temperament assessments.
Abstract:
Infant twins have been recruited to participate in a longitudinal assessment of temperament, beginning at three months of age. The twins are brought into a structured laboratory setting and are videotaped as they interact with the mother, with staff personnel, and with each other. The infant's temperament is rated from the videotapes, and additional data are obtained by having the parents fill out the Infant/Toddler Temperament Questionnaire at each visit. A neonatal assessment has also been done for most twins to obtain initial measures of irritability, reactivity and soothability. Monozygotic twins showed high concordance for irritability as neonates, and for ratings of emotional tone at 12 months. Monozygotic twins also tended to show synchronized patterns of change between ages. The questionnaire ratings correlated significantly with the laboratory ratings at six and 12 months, and this convergent linkage between two sources argues for a core temperament profile that manifests itself with some consistency.