COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Child Temperament and Personality Across Contexts

Hampton University, Hampton VA

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract Child Temperament and Personality Across Contexts James B. Victor, Hampton University Mary K. Rothbart, University of Oregon This project will merge two previously independent strands of research in the study of child temperament and personality. During the project year, child personality and temperament research teams at Hampton University, a Historically Black University (HBCU) and the University of Oregon will develop a collaborative network to build capacity for multidisciplinary, cross-cultural research about the development of child temperament and personality across contexts (CTPC). Child development collaborators who study child development issues across a broad array of developmental contexts (family, child-care, school, community, culture and language) will participate in the project. The overall project goal will merge two previously independent strands of research in the study of temperament and personality. The project's three specific aims are related to three domains as follow. Aim 1: Domain 1: Biological, social and behavioral aspects of measuring temperament and personality in children. We have chosen collaborators who will help us consider issues related to child temperament, child personality development (both the lexical approach and the NEO-PI Facet approach), and adult personality research. This group of collaborators will consider conceptual and measurement issues in developing facets for common instruments across the biological, emotional, social, and behavioral aspects of temperament and personality. In addition, collaborators will plan a multi-site study to validate the facet measures that have been developed. Aim 2: Domain 2: Risk identification and prevention in temperament and personality development. We have chosen collaborators who represent a broad array of scientific interests in child development to assist in developing an integrative approach to studying temperament and personality development from a common perspective. These collaborators will review the collected materials and analyses from Domain 1 activities. They will provide input and recommendations from their research prospectives on the measurement issues presented to them. In addition, they will plan collaborative studies using the common facets, based upon their programs of research. Aim 3: Domain 3: Ethnic and cultural contexts in temperament and personality development. We have chosen collaborators to address important ethnic and cultural issues and provide research access to a broad spectrum of populations of American Children to include African American and Latino children. These collaborators will plan studies to confirm and validate the common temperament and personality facets across culture and language contexts. Work to complete the three aims will include a fall workshop at the University of Oregon on child temperament and implications for facilitating collaborators working groups. In the spring workshop at Hampton University collaborators will present plans to submit proposals, gain funding, and conduct individual investigator, small collaborations and large-scale projects to meet the objective of integrating child development research across traditional knowledge domains, cultural contexts, and levels of analysis.