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Inside Industry with IERO is joined by Maria Gartstein a psychology professor and Head of the Gartstein Temperament Lab here at WSU. Maria was also recently featured in the Netflix documentary “Babies” for her work in infant temperament. The Gartstein Temperament Lab studies all things temperament related in early childhood both within and across cultural practices. Through a mixture of survey tools and observational practice the lab seeks to better understand the factors that impact temperament and related human development. Maria says what drew her to this research was because “there are things in how we react and how we begin to regulate ourselves as infants that are predictive of how we are going to be as adults.” Parents are asked to bring their baby to the lab where they are put in structured situations to solicit different emotions, such as parents playing peekaboo with their baby through a window. These temperament studies can help predict symptoms, disorders, and whether or not babies are going to be at risk of behavioral and emotional problems. These problems can include internalizing problems such as anxiety and depression related symptoms, or externalizing problems which include being disobedient and aggressive.