ABSTRACT
Over the past 10 years the increasing importance of temperament as both a critical developmental outcome and as a moderator and predictor of other developmental outcomes is mirrored by the in creasing number of books and major review chapters devoted to this domain (e.g., Guerin, Gottfried, Oliver, & Thomas, 2003; Halverson, Kohnstamm & Martin, 1994; Molfese & Molfese, 2000; Rothbart & Bates, 1998; Wachs & Kohnstamm, 2002). Given this wealth of information, a very obvious ques tion is: Does the world really need another chapter on temperament? Answering this question in the affirmative is based on what appears to be a shift in our understanding of the nature and consequ ences of individual differences in temperament. Historically, with some notable exceptions, conceptualization of and research on the natu re and consequences of individual differences in temperament have focused on temperament as a main effect predictor and outcome. A fundamental thesis of this chapter is that, by focusing just on temperament as a single main effect predictor or outcome, we severely limit our ability to deal with critical issues such as the delineation of the domains of temperament, discordance between parent reports of their child’s temperament, the modest stability of temperament traits over time, the etiology of individual differences in temperament, and the consequences of individual dif ferences in temperament. Rather than viewing temperament in isolation, 1 will argue it is essential that we view temperament as one part of a system of linked multiple influences and outcomes. Other parts of this system include:
1. Other developmental domains like cognition and motivation; 2. Nontemperament child characteristics like age, gender, and biomedical or nutritional status; 3. Changes in the structure and fu nctioning of the central nervous system or gene action patterns; 4. Different levels of the individuals context including:
a. proximal environmental characteristics such as parental sensitivity, involvement, and responsivity, as well as environmental “chaos” in the home;
b. quality of parental marital relationship;
c. distal environmental characteristics such as cultural values and beliefs about the desirability of various child characteristics, or the availability of environmental “niches” that are open to the individual.
