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| Neurologic and Physiologic Research |
Searching for the biological basis of behavior. |
How does temperament relate to psychophysiology?
A number of researchers have studied the neurological and physiological bases for temperament-related behavior. One of the first was
Jerome Kagan who investigated the temperament dimension of behavioral inhibition by measuring changes in heart rate when infants were exposed to various stimuli or situational
conditions. Kagan and his associates sorted children into "inhibited" and "uninhibited" children based on temperament assessment, then compared the results of their changes in
heart rate. He concluded that certain areas of the brain, primarily the amygdala, were important centers in the expression and regulation of behavioral inhibition.
Researchers have also focused on other physiologic measures such as hydrocortisol levels and related these to social behavior in childhood. Megan Gunnar at the University of
Minnesota conducted a number of studies showing that taking samples of saliva and correlating hydrocortisol levels with behavioral 'challenges' seemed to establish that levels of
this 'stress hormone' may influence temperament and related social behavior.
Other researchers such as Nathan Fox at the University of Maryland have used EEGs of the brain to assess the relationship between brainwave patterns and differences in temperament.
His studies of frontal activation asymmetry established some brain-behavior linkages.
Recently, a study by psychiatrist Carl Schwartz at Harvard University followed up a group of "inhibited" toddlers (from a previous study by Cynthia Garcia-Coll) in pre-adolescence. He determined that
a fully one-third of the inhibited group met the psychiatric criteria for Social Anxiety Disorder 10+ years later, while the virtually none of the uninhibited youngsters did. This suggests that early
inhibition may play a powerful role in affecting social and behavioral adjustment years later. Neuroimaging on a smaller sample group suggested that a hyperreactive amygdala, in conjunction with
failure of the prefrontal cortex to regulate it, may eventually lead to the disorder. |
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| Other Studies: |
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| Temperament and Culture |
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Universal?
Some researchers are studying whether temperament traits are found in all cultures... |
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Cross-cultural research
requires collaboration amongst scientists in many countries! |
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| Personality Traits |
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Factor analysis has identified
"The Big Five" dimensions of personality. Temperament researchers are looking at relationships between temperament and personality factors. |
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| Neuroimaging |
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Toddler shyness seems to predict
social anxiety in preadolescents. Look at the evidence! |
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| Education |
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Studies have examined this question
in both regular and special education settings. |
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