Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Knowledge of the integration of successive emotions was tested in 7- and 12-yr.-old children by presenting them stories in which an affectively charged target-situation was preceded either by an affectively neutral situation or by an affectively charged initial situation that was opposite in valence to the target situation. Children indicated the emotion they would feel in the target-situation by choosing one of five schematically presented facial expressions as well as by giving the reason for their choice. Older children's reports of affect in the target-situation were influenced more by the initial affective situation than were younger children's reports. Age-related differences were especially clear in girls' reports. It was concluded that there are age-related differences in children's awareness of the enduring character of emotions across situations.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Anderson

N. H.

Progress in cognitive algebra. In Berkowitz

, (Ed.) Cognitive theories in social psychology. New York: Academic Press, 1978. Pp. 103–126.

Carroll

J. J.

Steward

M. S.

The role of cognitive development in children's understanding of their own feelings. Child Development, 1984, 55, 1486–1492.

Feshbach

N. D.

Studies of empathic behavior in children. In Maher

B. A.

, (Ed.) Progress in experimental personality research. New York: Academic Press, 1978. Pp. 1–48.

Flavell

J. H.

Cognitive development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1977.

Harris

P. L.

Olthof

The child's concept of emotion. In Butterworth

Light

(Eds.), Social cognition, studies of the development of understanding. Brighton, UK: Harvester press, 1982. Pp. 188–209.

Harris

P. L.

Olthof

Terwogt

Meerum M.

Children's knowledge of emotion. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 1981, 22, 247–261.

Harris

P. L.

Olthof

Terwogt

Meerum M.

Hardman

C. E.

Children's knowledge of the situations that provoke emotion. International Journal of Behavioural Development, in press.

Harter

A cognitive-developmental approach to children's expression in play therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1977, 45, 417–432.

Harter

Children's understanding of multiple emotions: a cognitive-developmental approach. In Overton

, (Ed.) The relationship between social and cognitive development. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1982. Pp. 135–162.

10.

Harter

Buddin

Children's understanding of the simultanesty of two emotions: a developmental acquisition sequence. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Detroit, April 1983.

11.

Hughes

Tingle

B. A.

Sawin

D. B.

Development of empathic understanding in children. Child development, 1981, 52, 122–128.

12.

Kurdek

L. A.

Rodgon

M. M.

Perceptual, cognitive, and affective perspective taking in kindergarten through grade-six children. Developmental Psychology, 1975, 11, 643–650.

13.

Meerum Terwogt

Emotional development in middle childhood: a cognitive view. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Free Univer., Amsterdam, 1984.

14.

Meerum Terwogt

Koops

Oosterhoff

Olthof

Development in processing of multiple emotional situations. Journal of General Psychology, 1986, 113, 109–119.

15.

Saarni

Children's understanding of display rules for expressive behavior. Developmental Psychology, 1979, 15, 424–429.

16.

Selman

R. L.

What children understand of intrapsychic processes: the child as a budding personality theorist. In Sapiro

E. K.

Weber

(Eds.), Cognitive and affective growth: developmental interaction. Hillsdale, NJ: L.E.A. Publ., 1981. Pp. 187–215.

Children's Knowledge of the Integration of Successive Emotions

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References