Infancy and Childhood
Research has revealed that every person is born with a particular temperament or emotional reactivity to the environment. Our temperaments are fairly stable, meaning that our neurological wiring, which determines our emotional reactivity, does not change. For this assignment, you will complete three steps. First, your parent or guardian should complete Survey A. Next, you should complete Survey B. Finally, you should compare results of both surveys. The goal is to determine whether the survey is a valid way to identify your temperament.
Before you begin, review the Temperament Survey Checklist to help you complete your assignment and understand how your work will be graded.
Temperament Survey A: Parent or Guardian
The first part of determining your temperament involves enlisting the help of someone who raised you, or recalls what you were like as a young child. Have at least one person who meets this qualification complete Survey A.
View the survey below, and use the printable version to provide a copy to your chosen parent or guardian to complete.
Temperament Survey A: Parent or Guardian |
|
|---|---|
| Check off the behaviors that were generally or often true of your child: |
|
| Category 1 | |
_____ |
Displayed frequent temper tantrums. |
_____ |
Displayed intense emotions (positive or negative). |
_____ |
Inflexible with regard to food or schedule changes. |
_____ |
Cried more than other infants or toddlers. |
_____ |
Displayed irregular and unpredictable body functions (sleeping or bowel patterns). |
Category 2 |
|
_____ |
Tended to withdraw when greeted by unfamiliar people. |
_____ |
Had difficulty adapting to change. |
_____ |
Tended to slowly warm up to strangers. |
_____ |
Had a medium mood/was neither unpleasant nor predominantly cheerful. |
_____ |
Often reacted negatively to new situations or people. |
Category 3 |
|
_____ |
Generally displayed a pleasant, cheerful mood. |
_____ |
Did not mind being held by strangers. |
_____ |
Established regular and predictable sleeping and elimination patterns. |
_____ |
Smiled or laughed often. |
_____ |
Was flexible to changes. |
After your parent or guardian completes Survey A, determine which category received the most check marks. Below is the answer key for how the categories correlate with your temperament as an infant and toddler:
- Category A: Difficult temperament
- Category B: Slow-to-warm-up temperament
- Category C: Easy temperament
Temperament Survey B: Student
Complete the next survey by checking off traits you currently exhibit most days. View the survey below or a copy of the printable version.
| Temperament Survey B: Student | |
|---|---|
| Check off the behaviors that are generally true of you today: |
|
| Category 1 | |
_____ |
Often feel frustrated. |
_____ |
Have a quick temper. |
_____ |
Get emotionally upset easily. |
Category 2 |
|
_____ |
Are easily frightened. |
_____ |
Tend to worry. |
_____ |
Dislike change. |
Category 3 |
|
_____ |
Do not anger easily. |
_____ |
Like to be with people. |
_____ |
Have a generally positive, cheerful mood. |
After you complete Survey B, determine which category received the most check marks. Below is the answer key for how the categories correlate with your current temperament:
- Category A: Difficult temperament
- Category B: Slow-to-warm-up temperament
- Category C: Easy temperament
Survey Analysis
Answer the each of the following questions based on what you notice about Survey A and Survey B:
- Did the resulting temperament in Survey A match the resulting temperament in Survey B?
- If your temperament matched in both surveys, what do you understand better about yourself as a result?
- If your temperament did not match in both surveys, why do you think the results differed? Explain.
Once you have completed all three steps of the Temperament Survey assessment, please submit your work to the dropbox.