Define and give examples of the three main categories of temperament used by contemporary researchers (negative emotionality, positive emotionality, and effortful control). Provide an example to support each category.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal answer should include:
1. Negative emotionality consists of the traits of behavioral inhibition (signified by shy behavior) and anger (signified by angry facial expression and aggression toward objects or people). An example is a child who quickly becomes aggressive when another child takes his toy.
2. Positive emotionality consists of the traits of high-intensity pleasure (signified by smiling and laughing during social interaction), low-intensity pleasure (signified by quiet contentment when enjoying a sensation such as the taste of a treat), and activity level (signified by the amount and vigor of movement and a desire not to be kept in one place or immobile). An example is a child who is always moving and smiling.
3. Effortful control consists of the traits of attention/persistence (ability to sustain attention and continue trying to solve a problem despite lack of success) and inhibitory control (the ability to suppress an undesired dominant response and to activate a subdominant response, as well as by the ability to plan and to detect one's own mistakes). An example is a child who focuses on the same task for long periods of time, such as reading a book.