Parental Perceptions of the Behavioral Components of Infant Easiness/Difficultness

HUBERT, NANCY C., and WACHS, THEODORE D. Parental Perceptions of the Behavioral Components of Infant Easiness/Difficultness. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1985, 56, 1525-1537. This study was designed to delineate major behavioral components of infant easiness/difficultness based on parents' perceptions. Subjects were 96 mothers and 46 fathers of 6or 13-month-old infants. Using a free-response written format, parents independently generated behavioral cues that they believed contributed to their perception of their infant's recent easiness/difficultness. A 5-level cumulative category system was developed based on an analysis of cue content, and cues were reliably categorized. Mothers' and fathers' categories included a wide range of behaviors. Few systematic differences were found between easy versus difficult infants, 6versus 13-month-olds, males versus females, and firstborn versus later-born infants in the parents' perceptions of important behavioral components. The data supported the New York Longitudinal Study definition of Easy/Difficult temperament in the salience of Mood and Adaptability dimensions.