ISSN : 1229-0718
This study examined 3- to 7-year-old children's understanding of personality traits in three domains: trait identification, prediction of other's behavioral response, and beliefs about the stability of trait. A total of 79 children's responses(Male, Ns = 36, Female, Ns = 43) were used for the analysis. Each child heard 12 stories describing six contrasting pairs of traits and had to answer three questions about each trait. The results of this study are as follows; first, children from 3 years could identify the trait term from target person's past behavioral information. Second, children from 4 years made different behavioral prediction in the same situation for target persons with different trait. Third, children from age 3 to 7 believed that negative trait would be change in a positive direction. These results indicate that preschoolers have ability to understand personality trait as a causal mediator of one's behavior. Also children from age 3 to 7 are instrumental-incremental theorists believing that personality traits are relatively malleable.
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