Typology of Temperament of Japanese Children Aged 3 and 4

Abstract

Background: Whereas the majority of studies on temperament are variable-centered, temperament structure has rarely been challenged from a person-centered perspective (i.e., typology of temperament). The purpose of our study is to identify temperamental typology of Japanese toddlers using the EASI survey and a two-step cluster analysis. Methods: Net-survey collected data from 531 mothers and 369 fathers of a 3- or 4-year-old child in Japan. They were distributed the EASI with 4 subscales (Emotionality (E), Activity (A), Sociability (S), and Impulsivity (I)) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results: A two-step cluster analysis yielded 4 clusters: The first cluster ( n = 288) was characterized the highest S and mildly high A and I, and thus interpreted as Average-Active. The second cluster ( n = 179) was low in E, A, and I, but mildly high in S, and thus interpreted as Regulated. The third cluster ( n = 288) was almost the same level in I and E as the first cluster, but mildly low in A and S, and thus interpreted as Average-Quiet. The fourth cluster ( n = 145) was high in E, A, and I, but low in S, and thus interpreted as Sensitive/Hyperreactive. Regulated children scored the lowest in internalizing and externalizing behaviors on the CBCL subscales whereas Sensitive/Hyperreactive children scored the highest on these subscales. Conclusion: We identified four typologies of children’s temperament patterns interpretable as Average-Active, Regulated, Average-Quiet, and Sensitive/Hyper-reactive.