Joe is quite often irritable and fussy. His parents observe that he does not do well in new situations, and they complain that he has irregular patterns of eating and sleeping. A developmentalist is likely to conclude that Joe has a(n)__________ temperament.

In psychology, the term temperament refers to the characteristics and aspects of personality that we are born with, it is assumed to be biologically determined.

According to theorists, there are 3 different types of temperament:

Easy: These children are generally in a positive mood, establishing quickly regular routines in infancy and adapt easily to new experiences.
Difficult: These children tend to react negatively and cry frequently, they engage in irregular daily routines and are slow to accept new experiences.
Slow to Warm Up: These children have a low activity level, are somewhat negative, show low adaptability and tend to display a low intensity of mood.

In the example, Joe is irritable and fussy (he reacts in a negative way), he doesn't do well in new situations (new experiences) and has irregular patterns of eating and sleeping (irregular daily routines), thus, we can see that the temperament Joe likely has is a difficult one.

Therefore, a developmentalist is likely to conclude that Joe has a difficult temperament.