Insights for Parents from the Science of Child Temperament

Sneak peek: A basic overview of the types of child temperament and the role they play in child development

The idea of ‘temperament’ is heard a lot in any circle of parents, caregivers, or teachers discussing children. Although the word ‘temperament’ may not be used, you hear parents and teachers discuss a child who, “needs some time to warm up” or is who is “full of energy.” Most parents probably have a good sense of their child’s temperament but may not understand its implications for parenting. Understanding the types of child temperament and how they influence parenting can be a game-changer for your relationship with your child.

What Does Temperament Mean?

But what does temperament really mean and where does it come from? Perhaps most importantly, how does temperament influence how parents and children interact?

Although most people have a general sense of what temperament is, the research on types of child temperament is wide and varied. Some researchers have different definitions of temperament and what aspects of behavior should or should not be included in this construct. Here are some of the main ideas regarding types of temperament that have developed over the past 40 years or so.

In the 1960s and 70s researchers, Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess conducted a classic study in which they outlined nine dimensions of temperament. They included:

• activity level—energy level of the child
•  approach-withdrawl—how child initial responds to a new setting
• mood—child’s general tendency to be happy or unhappy
• rhythmicity—how regular are the child’s physical/biological patterns (e.g., eating, sleeping)
• persistence—child’s ability to stay with a difficult task
• attention span—child’s ability to focus on one task for a length of time
• adaptability—child’s ability to adjust to changes in routine
• threshold—child’s ability to handle external stimuli (e.g., loud noises)
• intensity—child’s tendency to emotionally react strongly or less strongly to events
• distractibility—the degree to which a child is easily distracted from a task or activity

Types of Child Temperament

Based on these dimensions, Thomas and Chess’s classic temperamental categories developed. They characterized children into one of three categories of temperament: “difficult,” “easy,” and “slow to warm up.”

In their study, 65% of children could be classified into one of these categories, so another category of “unable to classify” was created for the remaining 35%. Thomas and Chess found that in their initial study:

40% of the children fell into the “easy” category,
10% into the “difficult” category and
15% into the “slow to warm up” category.

Later, these researchers stated that these classifications should be considered less as discrete categories but more as a continuum along which children fell. So a child is typically not clearly “difficult” or clearly “easy” but somewhere along the continuum from “difficult” to “easy.”

Other, more recent researchers have defined temperament somewhat differently. They focus more on two primary dimensions: 1) emotional or attentional reactivity and 2) self-regulation. So what do these mean?

Reactivity focuses on the child’s responses to stimuli. These stimuli could either be external (e.g., a loud noise) or internal (e.g., feeling angry).

Self-regulation refers to the child’s ability to manage his/her reactivity in various situations. Do these sound familiar? As you can see, the differences between these dimensions and those used by Thomas and Chess are very subtle and there seems to be a lot of overlap.

Another note to consider regarding these temperamental categories is the inherent judgment that comes along with labels such as “easy” or “difficult.” It’s helpful to remember that Thomas and Chess were conducting this research at a time when a child’s behavior was seen much more from the parent’s perspective rather than the child’s experience. These labels reflected the idea that children with an “easy” temperament were perhaps less demanding of parents’ time and energy than those with a “difficult” temperament. It’s good to keep in mind that a child with a “difficult” temperament is not intentionally trying to be more demanding. They tend to be more sensitive to their surroundings and thus often require more assistance and intervention on the part of parents to help them regulate their emotions.

What Factors Influence a Child’s Temperament?

So this gives us a general understanding of what researchers mean when they use the term “temperament.” But where does temperament come from? Is it genetic or something learned as we experience life?

Of course, in science, there are rarely easy black-and-white answers to questions like this. Scientists are really just beginning to explore the possible biological components of temperament by using new brain imaging technology. Although most researchers agree that there is at least some genetic or biological basis for temperament, the role of the environment and life experience is also important. In reality, the expression of temperament is most likely a combination of both biological and environmental features, or what researchers call “gene-environment” interactions. See a little more about the importance of temperament in children’s development with this video:

Learn more about your child’s temperament. Check out my NEW temperament toolkit for parents and educators: 

Tuning into Temperament: A Toolkit for Parents and Educators

This makes sense when you think about it. If you have a tendency to have a more inhibited temperament, this will influence the types of situations you expose yourself to due to the fact that you will not feel comfortable in every situation. This experience with the environment will then further shape your behavior and personality. This distinct interaction between genes and the environment is probably what ultimately makes each of us unique individuals.

Curious about your child’s temperament? Take the temperament quiz and learn more!

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Raising Your Spirited Child