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Biomedical subjects

H H Goldsmith

Publications and source records attributed to H H Goldsmith.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

The structure of temperamental fear and pleasure in infants: a psychometric perspective.

Despite the prominence of temperament constructs in the study of infant development, little evidence exists about the internal structure of temperament. We assessed temperament both via questionnaire and in repeated laboratory visits for 168 9-month-old twins and singletons. Mothers' and fathers' agreement on temperament questionnaire scales was low, except for scales tapping negative emotionality and activity level. The factor structure of mothers' and fathers' questionnaire scales also differed, with fathers tending to associate higher motoric activity with hedonically positive behaviors. We measured fearfulness during 2 visual cliff episodes and a stranger approach, and we measured joy/pleasure during a series of 4 games. For both fearfulness and pleasure we found moderate cross-situation generality, short-term stability, and convergence with specific temperament questionnaire scales. Parameters of response, such as latency, duration, and intensity, intercorrelated within--but not across--response types. Fearful distress and avoidance proved to be uncorrelated. The results suggest that the component behaviors of infant fearfulness and pleasure are structured in a fashion consistent with a temperamental interpretation.

Arousal↗
PubMed1987

Roundtable: what is temperament? Four approaches.

4 current approaches to understanding temperament are discussed in the roundtable. In an introductory overview, Goldsmith outlines some of the major convergences and divergences in the understanding of this concept. Theorists representing 4 positions--Goldsmith, Buss and Plomin, Rothbart, and Thomas and Chess--outline their views by responding to each of 6 questions: How do you define temperament and explain the boundaries of the concept? What are the elements of temperatment? How does the construct of temperament permit you to approach issues or organize data in ways that are possible only if this construct is invoked? How does temperament develop? To what extent do you consider temperament to be a personological versus a relational or an interactional construct? and How does your approach deal with issues of temperamental "difficulty"? In 2 commentaries on the theorists' answers, Hinde highlights differences among their positions and indicates issues that current theories of temperament must take into consideration, and McCall draws on common aspects to propose a synthesizing definition that draws on all 4 approaches.

Arousal↗
PubMed1983

Genetic influences on personality from infancy to adulthood.

Recent behavior-genetic studies of personality are reviewed. These studies are first organized according to their subjects' age and then interpreted by emphasizing their developmental implications. Although certain discrepancies have arisen from the use of questionnaire versus laboratory assessments and twin studies as opposed to adoption designs, some consensus may be emerging. Research has moved beyond mere demonstration of heritable sources of variation in the great majority of personality measures. This overview of the literature documents (1) the demonstration of genetic bases for stability of certain personality dimensions, (2) evidence suggesting that the most influential environmental sources of variation are those not jointly experienced by family members, and (3) continuing controversy regarding the convergence of genetic results for different assessment strategies and different developmental periods. Clarifying the nature of the interplay between developmental processes and gene action is now a major task for developmental behavioral geneticists who study personality and temperament.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Origins of variation in behavioral style: a longitudinal study of temperament in young twins.

Psychologists' ratings of infant and childhood behavioral style, or temperament, made during the course of the nationwide Collaborative Perinatal Project supplied the raw data for the largest longitudinal twin study yet reported on this topic. The behavioral ratings are available for ages 8 months, 4 years, and 7 years on approximately 350 twin pairs. These ratings were factor analyzed, and co-twin similarity for identical and fraternal twins was examined at each age. The most salient results were as follows: (1) At 8 months, individual differences in a broadly based "activity" factor showed evidence of moderate genetic influences; (2) at 4 years, IQ showed appreciably greater familial influence than any of the composites of temperament ratings, but significant genetic effects were apparent for "task persistence" and "irritability" factors; and (3) some evidence for genetic effects on "active adjustment" and "'fearfulness" factors was present at 7 years. A general conclusion for all ages is that nonfamilial sources account for at least one-half of the observed variance. No strong evidence for sex differences emerged from the analyses.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Salivary cortisol as a predictor of socioemotional adjustment during kindergarten: a prospective study.

This study, based on a sample of 172 children, examined the relation between average afternoon salivary cortisol levels measured at home at age 4.5 years and socioemotional adjustment a year and a half later, as reported by mothers, fathers, and teachers. Cortisol levels were hypothesized to be positively associated with withdrawal-type behaviors (e.g., internalizing, social wariness) and inversely related to approach-type behaviors, both negative and positive (e.g., externalizing, school engagement). Higher cortisol levels at age 4.5 predicted more internalizing behavior and social wariness as reported by teachers and mothers, although child gender moderated the relation between cortisol and mother report measures. An inverse relation was found between boys' cortisol levels and father report of externalizing behavior. A marginal inverse relation was found between child cortisol levels and teacher report of school engagement. Behavior assessed concurrently with cortisol collection did not account for the prospective relations observed,suggesting that cortisol adds uniquely to an understanding of behavioral development.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Continuity and change in inhibited and uninhibited children.

After screening 368 toddlers and selecting 77 into extremely inhibited, extremely uninhibited, and intermediate groups, 63 children (82%) were followed up at 4 and 7 years. Minority subgroups of both the inhibited and uninhibited children showed continuity on outcomes consisting of questionnaire measures of shyness, inhibitory control, and impulsivity, as well as multiepisode observational measures of behavioral inhibition and exuberance. Change from both inhibited and uninhibited status from the toddler age was more common than remaining extremely inhibited or uninhibited, but that change was largely constrained to the middle of the distribution.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Disambiguating the components of emotion regulation.

Affective neuroscience and cognitive science approaches are useful for understanding the components of emotion regulation; several examples from current research are provided. Individual differences in emotion regulation and a focus on the context of emotion experience and expression provide additional tools to study emotion regulation, and its development, from a biobehavioral perspective.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Children's temperament and behavior problems predict their employed mothers' work functioning.

Numerous studies have been conducted on the impact of dual-earner parents' employment on their children, yet the reverse process-the impact of children and their behavior on the work functioning of their parents-has been ignored. This study investigated spillover from the mother role to the work role in a sample of more than 300 families. At 4 months, 12 months, 3.5 years, and 4.5 years of age, child's difficult temperament was significantly associated with mother's work outcomes, including work role quality and rewards from combining work and family. The evidence was consistent with a structural model in which maternal sense of parenting competence and maternal depressed affect mediated these effects.

Adult↗