Abstract
The relationships among variables thought to be related to temperament are not clear. This research was designed first to explore the relations among individual differences in the expressions of pleasure, fear, and anger. It also related individual differences in pleasure and fear to the approach tendency. Twenty-one infants were observed to assess their emotional and motor responses in a laboratory setting. A temperament questionnaire was also completed by mother, in order to assess the babies' daily life emotionalities. The results were as follows : (1) the tendencies to express pleasure, fear, and anger were independent of one another. (2) More fearful infants (judged by their responses in the laboratory and by the results of the questionnaire) tended to approach high-novelty objects with longer latencies. (3) Infants who smiled and laughed more in the observed social episodes approached high-novelty objects with shorter latencies. These findings support the theory that views emotionalities as temperamental components. They also suggest that individual differences in approach are not independent of the propensities for pleasure and fear.
