Baseline and heelstick measures of behavioral state, heart period, vagal tone, and salivary cortisol were obtained from 50 full-term newborns. Mothers completed Rothbart's Infant Behavior Questionnaire when the infants reached six months of age. Greater reactivity to the heelstick was associated with lower scores on the…

Describes the development of a parent-report to assess infant temperament and presents longitudinal findings. Scales were developed to measure activity level, soothability, fear, distress to limitations, smiling/laughter, and duration of orienting. Longitudinal analyses showed that stability in some scales was age-related. (Author/DB)