not such a blank slate for personality

a new book on temperament brings nature versus nurture back again, citing research by harvard's jerome kagan indicating that personality is largely hard-wired. his book details findings that a baby's temperament at four months old helps predict future personality. the study finds that although someone who is shy and afraid can venture into the middle-range of behavior by adolescence, something likely determined by environmental factors, one very rarely - in only 5% of cases - switches to the opposite end of the temperament spectrum.

via arts & letters