Temperament is important for considering differences among diagnostic groups and for understanding individual differences that predict problematic behavior. Temperament characteristics, such as negative affectivity, effortful control, and surgency (highly active and impulsive), are predictive of externalizing behavior in typically developing…

For comparison with ratings previously obtained in New Zealand, the study analyzed subscales of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist using 531 moderately and severely retarded subjects from a residential institution in the United States. Sex failed to influence subscale scores, whereas age, country, and severity of retardation significantly affected…