Final answer:
To assess a child's temperament, evaluations focus on traits such as emotional reactivity, self-regulation, and adaptability, which emerge early and may have a biological basis.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine a child's temperament, researchers and psychologists often assess traits such as emotional reactivity, self-regulation, and sociability. These traits are considered to have a biological basis and manifest very early in life, suggesting that they are at least partially innate. For example, Thomas and Chess's seminal study identified three primary temperaments: easy, difficult, and slow to warm up. An easy temperament is characterized by positive emotions, adaptability to change, and ability to regulate emotions, whereas a difficult temperament involves negative emotions, difficulty with change, and poor emotional regulation.
Reactivity and self-regulation are two important dimensions of our adult personality that originate from these temperamental traits. Reactivity refers to how we respond to new or challenging environmental stimuli, and self-regulation is our ability to control that response. Additionally, environmental factors can influence the way a child's personality traits manifest over time.