Discuss the methodological issues in assessing temperament throughout the lifespan - Essay Example

Discuss The Methological Issues In Assessing Temperament Throughout The Lifespan. Introduction Temperament refers to the different and unique personalities and behaviors of each individual. The personalities are inborn and are, therefore, natural. They define who a person is since each has a different character. That is the reason people will always be different because they have different personalities. Only situation that prompt the individual to react can make the temperament be identified or seen.

There are different types of temperament which include; activity level, mood, adaptability, persistence, phlegmatic, sanguine, melancholic, and choleric, among others (Mestrovic, 2013).Methods used in measuring temperament Temperaments can be looked at or identified through different ways including; questionnaires, self and caregiver reports, interviews and both home and laboratory observations. Questionnaires are given to parents or guardians to fill in the unique behaviors of their children.

Parents can quickly identify how a particular child reacts to issues that are different from others. For adults, filling a questionnaire about how certain things can be and why can help. It also has a standard since the choices for questions are set thus reducing ambiguity (Rothbart, 2011). Laboratory and home observations, on the other hand, involves a keen study of the reaction of individuals to certain situations and circumstances. It includes monitoring of the heart rate and other physical behaviors.

It, however, does not have a standard for the measurement thus the results may not be the same for different individuals. In addition, interview is another way of looking at temperaments. Every person answers here similar questions in a set group. The group can consist of either children or adults. Interview method can outline apparently things like facial expression, tone of voice, and body movements (Rothbart, 2011).Challenges and problems of the various measurements of temperament While carrying out the different ways of temperament identification, various hindrances limit its success.

The barriers and challenges faced include the following; in questionnaires, there are chances that the parents or caregivers will give a report that is positive or negative. That depends on the relationship between the child and the person filling the questionnaire. The rate may also be. Therefore, the method cannot be a reliable one. (Mestrovic, 2013). On the other hand, laboratory and home observations are affected by emotional changes between the measurement periods. Usually, individuals tend to experience emotional and mood changes that can influence the behavior.

The laboratory observation specifically can be costly compared to other methods due to the need to purchase the instruments used. Unlike the laboratory observation, home observation does not have a standard that controls it. Therefore, the results may be deceiving. On the other hand, interviews also have a time limitation. The time spent on each may be more and, therefore, the session becomes lengthy. The feedback obtained from interviews might be ambiguous and incomplete thus a standard of rating is (Chess, 2013).

Conclusion The different type of methods may overlap, and each has its limitations and advantages. Despite the constraints, various strategies may be utilized, during the assessment to enhance the quality of results obtained. For one to conclude on the particular temperament of a person, the various results obtained from the different methods have to be combined.References Chess, S. (2013). Temperament: Theory and practice. Routledge.Tost, H., Kolachana, B., Hakimi, S., Lemaitre, H., Verchinski, B. A., Mattay, V. S.,& Meyer–Lindenberg, A. (2010). A common allele in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) affects prosocial temperament and human hypothalamic-limbic structure and function.

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