Friday, August 17, 2012

Tadpoles retain personalities

I sometimes post research that informs us about childrearing. AAAS Science magazine reports:
Some of our personality traits from childhood stick with us for the rest of our lives. An early shyness on the playground doesn't always go away in the boardroom, for example. But what if your entire body changed as you aged, transforming you into a completely unrecognizable creature? Would you retain the personality of your youth? A new study in frogs suggests that you would.

In the past decade, scientists have shown that a broad range of animals—from dogs to sea anemones—display consistent personalities throughout their lives. ...

Few researchers have attempted to study personality before and after metamorphosis, ... It was hard, Wilson says, to find personality tests that would work well for tadpoles and frogs, which are like two distinct animals. "[They] reach a certain stage of their life and then, bam! They change into something completely different."
I did not know that tadpoles had personalities. I did not even know that frogs had personalities. I guess this means that my kids are going to grow up with the same personalities they had in the crib. If you believe this stuff.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Environment is also a factor in how personality develops. Dr. Angry dad, I doubt that today you are the same person that you were in the crib! :-) Barbara