Marilyn Lopes
Extension Specialist, Family Life Education
Cape Cod Extension
University of Massachusetts
Copyright/Access Information
Three-year-olds who are included in discussions about other people's
feelings are likely to recognize and understand such feelings
when they encounter them later on, according to a recent study.
Some families naturally talked more about feelings in general
and other people's feelings
in particular. During these talks, three-year-olds discussed other
people's feelings with their mothers more frequently than with
their siblings.
At age six, the youngsters whose families had talked more often
about feelings were better able to identify other people's emotions
than those whose families rarely spoke of emotions. After three
years of participating in these discussions, they were better
at making judgments about the emotions of unfamiliar adults involved
in a specific task. Individual differences in verbal skills and
the frequency of parent-child conversations did not account for
the differences in test scores and the children's enhanced ability
to empathize.
The parents and children who had spoken most often on the subject
had covered a broad range of emotions in their talks and were
likely to discuss the causes and consequences of the feelings
as well - especially during disputes. And disputes were relatively
frequent, as family members
questioned each other's interpretations and explanations of emotions.
This finding supports the idea that social conflict is likely
to foster the development of social understanding.
Other kinds of discussions, such as calm discussion, pretend play,
and hostile feelings, had no special developmental importance
in children's growing knowledge about emotions.
Whether children can translate this knowledge of emotions into
active, sympathetic behavior remains to be explored. As a caregiver,
you can help young children recognize and understand a variety
of feelings and emotions. During quiet times, encourage each child
to share feelings about some situation involving others and discuss
the feelings or emotions the child identifies.
FORMAT AVAILABLE:: Available only on the
Internet
DOCUMENT REVIEW::
Level 2 - University of Massachusetts Cooperative
Extension System
DOCUMENT SIZE:: 7K or 2 pages
ENTRY DATE:: July 1995
UPDATED:: May 1998
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