Do Infant Temperament Characteristics Predict Core Academic Abilities in Preschool-Aged Children?

•Temperament measured at 4 months of age via caregiver report predicts performance-based indicators of school readiness obtained between 3-5 years of age.•Positive emotionality and regulatory capacity domains of temperament appear particularly important in explaining school readiness.•Temperament indicators based on laboratory observations at 12 months of age support the importance of positive emotionality in understanding emerging school readiness.

Examined relationships between temperament, measured via parent report at 4 months and structured laboratory observations at 12 months of age, and a school readiness battery administered at about 4 years of age (N = 31). Scores on the School Readiness Assessment of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS) were related to infant Positive Affectivity/Surgency (PAS), with infants described as demonstrating higher levels of PAS at 4 months of age later demonstrating greater school readiness in the domains of color, letter, and number skills. Regulatory Capacity/Orienting (RCO) at 4 months also predicted color skills, with more regulated infants demonstrating superior pre-academic functioning in this area. Analyses involving laboratory observations of temperament provided additional information concerning the importance of infant Positive Affectivity/Surgency, predictive of letter skills and overall school-readiness scores later in childhood. Results are discussed in the context of implications for theory and research, as well as early education settings.