This research examines the relationship between nutrition and infant temperament. Temperament refers to individual differences in behavioral tendencies that are stable across time and situations, and that appear very early in infancy. The study builds on previous research conducted in Guatemala, involving a group of women, some of whom had received nutritional supplements when they were children and some of whom had not. The same women are now of child-bearing age and have children of their own. The current project will examine whether a mother's own nutritional history during early childhood can influence her childrens' temperament, cognitive capabilities, and nutritional intake. It is expected that inadequately nourished children whose mothers did not receive nutritional supplements during their childhood will show a temperament pattern involving lower levels of: positive emotionality, activity, soothability and cooperativeness. These children are also expected to show higher levels of: negative emotionality, inhibition, and distress. In contrast, it is expected that adequately nourished children whose mothers did receive nutritional supplements during their childhood will show the reverse pattern of temperament. The research has strong potential for broadening our knowledge of biologically-based behavior, and for refining our understanding of the relationship between nutrition and individual differences in behavior.
