42 Emotions in infants

Abstract

Emotion theories differ with respect to both the formation of emotion categories (e.g., innate vs. constructed) and the role of language in emotion representation. This chapter will discuss how infant research can inform these debates, illustrate what is currently known about infants’ perception and integration of emotion information across multiple sources (faces, bodies, and voices), and discuss current understanding of the interaction between language and emotion knowledge development. During the first year, infants transition from merely detecting and discriminating to recognizing emotions, and to using the emotion expressed by others to guide their behavior. Infants also learn about objects through socioemotional cues, such as whether to approach an unfamiliar toy or by discovering the label for an object highlighted through the highly positive infant-directed speech characteristically used by caregivers. Therefore, through emotion, infants learn about the world around them, including how to successfully communicate and engage in appropriate behaviors in various situations. Findings suggest that language is not a necessary precursor for basic emotion perception. However, sophisticated representation of emotion is not available at birth or soon thereafter but is influenced by experience and learning during the first year of life.