Definition
Child temperament and environment interact to influence behavior and developmental outcomes. Optimal outcomes are most likely to occur when a child’s temperament matches the demands of the environment, otherwise known as a “good fit.”
Introduction
The goodness of fit model proposed by Thomas and Chess (1977) acknowledges that an optimal interplay between environment and temperament will promote ideal developmental outcomes in children. Environmental factors are extrinsic, external sources, such as socioeconomic status, parental behavior, and teacher-child relationship quality. Temperament is an innate behavioral predisposition that is relatively stable across time and contexts (Lerner 1983; see also Kotelnikova, Child Temperament). For instance, certain children are born with a predisposition toward a more easygoing temperament, whereas others may inherently be more difficult (De Schipper et al. 2004). According...
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References
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Hipson, W.E., Séguin, D.G. (2017). Goodness of Fit Model. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_757-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_757-1
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