Developmental Methods for Emotion Dynamics

Abstract

Abstract Emotions and their development are complex processes. Emotions are dynamic; involve multiple biological, psychological, and social systems; and can be idiosyncratic. However, much of the research on emotional development has used methods that do not capture the dynamic nature of emotions; focus only on one biological, psychological, or social system; and/or do not account for individual differences. This chapter provides an overview of current methods for developmental studies on emotion dynamics. First, it introduces methods for examining emotions as dynamic processes. Then, it extends this discussion to multiple-burst designs that capture emotion dynamics at multiple timescales (Ram & Diehl, 2015). Throughout, the author discusses approaches for both individual and interpersonal emotion dynamics that are applicable across the life span. The chapter concludes with a discussion of future directions in the study of emotion dynamics and their development.