Temperament and Behavior Disorders in Children.

A longitudinal study begun in 1956 on the effect of the child's temperament on his development included 141 children, 136 of whom remained throughout the study. Aged 4 to 10 years in 1966, the 69 boys and 67 girls had a mean IQ of 127 established at 3 and 6 years of age and were from 85 middle or upper-middle-class families. The Parental Attitude Research Instrument indicated a homogeneity of attitude (permissive, child-centered) which, however, was not duplicated in actual child care practice. Temperamental characteristics established on a 3-point scale were activity level, rhythmicity, approach or withdrawal, adaptability, the intensity of reaction, 

the threshold of responsiveness, quality of mood, distractibility, and attention span and persistence. Regular parental, teacher and direct observations were conducted, and direct behavioral observation and parent interviews were significantly correlated (p=.01). Behavioral disturbances developed in 42 of the children (three of them brain damaged), forming a clinical sample whose temperamental characteristics as a group, in contrast to the nonclinical sample, included high or low activity, irregularity, withdrawal responses, nonadaptability, high intensity, persistence, and distractibility. Parent guidance was successful for 28 of the 42 children; of seven in psychotherapy, three did not improve. 

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