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Studying Cross-cultural Differences in the Development of Infant Temperament: People’s Republic of China, the United States of America, and Spain

Child Psychiatry and Human Development volume 37, pages 145–161 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Investigated early development of temperament across three cultures: People’s Republic of China (PRC), United States of America (US), and Spain, utilizing a longitudinal design (assessments at 3, 6, and 9 months of age). Selection of these countries presented an opportunity to conduct Eastern–Western/Individualistic–Collectivistic comparisons. The greatest number of significant differences (i.e., involving more temperament dimensions) was anticipated for the US (Western/Individualistic) and PRC (Eastern/Collectivistic) comparisons. The US sample included 66, the PRC group 69, and the Spanish sample, 60 mothers, all of whom completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) 3 times, when their infants were 3, 6, and 9 months of age. Results related to mean group differences were generally consistent with our hypotheses, demonstrating a greater number of significant differences for US versus PRC, with fewer differences observed for US and Spain. Analyses addressing developmental changes in temperament indicated patterns consistent with a priori expectations and cross-cultural differences.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Washington State University, P.O. Box 644820, Pullman, WA, 99164-4840, USA

    Maria A. Gartstein

  2. Facultad de PsicologHa, Campus Universitario de La Merced, 30100, Murcia, Spain

    Carmen Gonzalez & Jose A. Carranza

  3. MetriTech Inc., 4106, Fieldstone Road, Champaign, IL, 61821, USA

    Stephan A. Ahadi

  4. Houston Independent School District, 4400 West 18th Street, Houston, TX, 77092-8501, USA

    Renmin Ye

  5. Department of Psychology, 1227, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-1227, USA

    Mary K. Rothbart

  6. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 935 East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, USA

    Suh Wen Yang

Authors
  1. Maria A. Gartstein
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  2. Carmen Gonzalez
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  3. Jose A. Carranza
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  4. Stephan A. Ahadi
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  5. Renmin Ye
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  6. Mary K. Rothbart
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  7. Suh Wen Yang
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Correspondence to Maria A. Gartstein.

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Gartstein, M.A., Gonzalez, C., Carranza, J.A. et al. Studying Cross-cultural Differences in the Development of Infant Temperament: People’s Republic of China, the United States of America, and Spain. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 37, 145–161 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-006-0025-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-006-0025-6

Keywords

  • Infancy
  • Temperament
  • Cross-cultural
  • Longitudinal