What the report covers

The assignment asks which factors shape infant temperament and attachment. It is not a reprint of a RAD differential, and it is not a teacher-attachment paper.

Define temperament, relate it to attachment, then stop short of causal slogans.

Temperament as a starting point

Thomas and Chess described early style — activity, rhythmicity, approach or withdrawal, adaptability, intensity, mood, persistence, distractibility, and threshold. Rothbart's later work groups much of this as reactivity and self-regulation, including effortful control as it emerges.

These dimensions are starting points for observation. They are not a nine-box personality test for a baby.

Attachment is a relationship

Ainsworth's patterns describe how a child organizes behavior with a particular person under stress and reunion. Temperament may color how distress looks; it does not by itself assign a classification.

Goodness of fit is the useful bridge: a caregiver can adjust timing, stimulation, and soothing without treating the child as a problem to be corrected.

Limits

A short home or clinic visit cannot settle either construct. Sleep, illness, and culture change what is noticed.

Sources

1. Thomas, A., & Chess, S. (1977). Temperament and development. Brunner/Mazel.
2. Rothbart, M. K., & Bates, J. E. (2006). Temperament. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology(6th ed.). Wiley.
3. Ainsworth, M. D. S., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment. Erlbaum.

Last updated: November 13, 2026

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