Affect, Temperament and Opposition in Toddlerhood (Cooperation, Compliance, Emotional Development).

Emotional functioning may contribute as a motivational force to the varying amounts of opposition, cooperation and compliance toddlers exhibit. Certain aspects of behavior style or temperament--activity level, adaptability, intensity of response and mood--may also contribute to these toddler behaviors, either directly or by mediating the quality of affective functioning. This study investigates these relationships and introduces an innovative technique for the merger and analysis of affective and behavioral datasets. Each of thirty mothers and their 18-24 month old sons were videotaped during a laboratory play situation and mothers completed portions of the Fullard, McDevitt and Carey Toddler Temperament Scale. Using the Toddler Compliance and Opposition Scoring System, a new coding system, and Izard's Affex system, each child's stream of behaviors and affective facial expressions were independently coded from videotape. These data were merged by a computer method and the total time that each child spent in each behavior and /or affect tabulated. Correlational, profile and joint frequency analyses of these data indicate relationships between positive affect and cooperation and between negative affect and opposition. Moreover, these seem to be partly due to specific relationships between enjoyment and cooperation and between anger and opposition. However, since interest occurred predominantly with all behaviors under study, relationships between particular affects and behaviors do not account for large amounts of variance. Analyses show no relationship between any affect and compliance. Regression and profile analyses indicate that, while temperament variables have no direct effect on toddler behavior, children who are less adaptable, more negative in mood and prone to intense responses will display less enjoyment and more anger. As such, temperamental variables may have an effect upon behavior which is indirect and mediated by affect. These findings suggest that, while negative affect contributes to opposition, children's interest in prohibited objects and activities also plays an important role in fostering this behavior. An integrated model of affective and temperamental contributions to toddler opposition, a methodological critique and some suggestions for future research are presented.PhDDevelopmental psychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/160444/1/8502953.pd