Let\u2019s Talk About Emotions: the Development of Children\u2019s Emotion Vocabulary from 4 to 11 Years of Age

Gerlind Grosse,Catherine Gunzenhauser,Berit Streubel,Henrik Saalbach

doi:10.1007/s42761-021-00040-2

Gerlind Grosse, Catherine Gunzenhauser + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-021-00040-2

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Abstract

Learning to use language in an adult-like way is a long-lasting process. This may particularly apply to complex conceptual domains such as emotions. The present study examined children’s and adults’ patterns of emotion word usage regarding their convergence and underlying semantic dimensions, and the factors influencing the ease of emotion word learning. We assessed the production of emotion words by 4- to 11-year-old children (N = 123) and 27 adults (M = 37 years) using a vignette test. We found that the older the children, the more emotion words they produced. Moreover, with increasing age, children’s pattern of emotion word usage converged with adult usage. The analysis for semantic dimensions revealed one clear criterion—the differentiation of positive versus negative emotions—for all children and adults. We further found that broad covering emotion words are produced earlier and in a more adult-like way.

Highlights

Being able to express and share emotions helps children to generate social understanding, empathy, and healthy relationships (Beck et al, 2012; Fabes et al, 2001; Holodynski & Friedlmeier, 2006)
The older the children, the more emotion words they have in their active vocabulary
This study is, to our knowledge, the first systematical investigation and in-depth analysis of children’s use of emotion words including a wide range of approaches, such as analyzing the frequency of use, the underlying semantic dimensions, and the convergence with adult-like usage as well as the factors influencing the ease of emotion word learning

Summary

Introduction

Being able to express and share emotions helps children to generate social understanding, empathy, and healthy relationships (Beck et al, 2012; Fabes et al, 2001; Holodynski & Friedlmeier, 2006). Lindquist et al (2015) have suggested that emotion terms help to connect disparate aspects of a culturally relevant emotion category (e.g., bodily sensations, possible situational causes, facial expressions), facilitating its representation as an entity. In line with these theoretical conceptualizations, empirical studies show that a differentiated emotion vocabulary positively relates to various aspects of emotion-related knowledge (Beck et al, 2012; Lindquist et al, 2015; Ornaghi & Grazzani, 2013; Streubel et al, 2020) as well as to emotion concept representation (Nook et al, 2017). Ornaghi and Grazzani (2013) reported that production and comprehension of emotional state language relates to Affective Science (2021) 2:150–162 primary school children’s emotion-related knowledge (TEC; Pons & Harris, 2000)

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