What best defines temperament?

Temperament is best defined as a prevailing or dominant quality that characterizes a person's behavior and emotional responses. This concept encompasses the innate traits that influence how individuals react to their environment, process information, and interact with others. Temperament is often observed from an early age and can include characteristics such as activity level, emotional intensity, and adaptability. These traits are relatively stable over time and play a crucial role in the development of personality.

The other choices do not accurately capture the essence of temperament. A temporary mood or feeling describes short-lived psychological states rather than consistent traits. A learned behavior implies that these characteristics are acquired through experience, which does not align with the notion of temperament being an inherent quality. Lastly, describing temperament as a psychological diagnosis misrepresents it, as temperaments are not disorders but rather natural variations in individual differences.