The Australian Temperament Project is a longitudinal study of the psychosocial development of a representative sample of Australian children born in the state of Victoria between September 1982 and January 1983. It aims to trace the pathways to psychosocial adjustment and maladjustment across the lifespan, and to investigate the contribution of personal, family and environmental factors to development and well-being. A major theme throughout has been the influence of an individual's temperament on his/her emotional and behavioral adjustment.
The initial sample comprised 2,443 families from urban and rural areas, of whom approximately two-thirds are still participating after 24 years. Fourteen waves of data have been collected by mail surveys from 4-8 months to 24 years of age. Parents, maternal and child health nurses, primary school teachers, and. from the age of 11, the children themselves have completed questionnaires.