Q.When children use name-calling, swearing and abusive words, they are using the ________ form of aggressive behaviour.

Hyperactivity Characteristics – A First Look

The Intuition

Imagine a classroom. Most students sit reasonably still, listen, and raise their hands before speaking. Now picture a student who seems to be driven by a motor — they can't stay seated, they fidget constantly, they blurt out answers, and they talk excessively. That restless, excessive, and often poorly controlled movement and speech is what we call hyperactivity.

The key intuition: hyperactivity is not just "being active." It is activity that is inappropriate for the situation — too much, too fast, and too hard to control. A child running on a playground is normal; the same child running in a library during a test is hyperactive.

The Precise Statement

In clinical and educational psychology, hyperactivity is one of the two core symptom domains of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (the other being inattention). The characteristics of hyperactivity are:

Hyperactivity refers to a persistent pattern of excessive motor activity, restlessness, and impulsivity that is developmentally inappropriate, occurs across multiple settings, and interferes with functioning or development.

The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition) lists these specific hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms (for children aged 17 or younger, at least 6 of the following must have persisted for ≥6 months):