Final answer:
An infant's characteristic mood, activity level, and attention span are components of the infant's temperament, encompassing inborn traits that influence behavior and reactions. Temperament affects an infant's interactions with their environment as well as the parenting style they receive, and plays a significant role in their psychosocial development.
Step-by-step explanation:
An infant's characteristic mood, activity level, and attention span are referred to as components of the infant's temperament. Temperament includes innate traits that influence how one thinks, behaves, and reacts with the environment.
Thomas and Chess (1977) identified three types of temperament: easy, difficult, or slow to warm up. While temperament has a biological basis, appearing early in life, environmental factors and maturation also play a role in how a child's personality is expressed.
Children with an easy temperament tend to demonstrate positive emotions, adaptability, and capability of regulating their emotions, which can lead to warm and responsive parenting. Conversely, children with a difficult temperament often show negative emotions and have a harder time adapting to change and regulating their emotions, challenging parents and caregivers.
Understanding a child's temperament can be crucial for fostering their psychosocial development, including the formation of healthy attachments and positive self-concept, as well as for parental responses.