Preschool children's social competence and production and discrimination of affective expressions

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between the ability to discriminate and produce facial expressions and social acceptance by peers of young preschool children. Multiple measurements of affect discrimination ability, production ability (posed and spontaneous) and sociometric status (ratings and preference scores) were included, along with one measure of verbal labelling of affective expressions. Results indicated that abilities to discriminate and produce expressions were unrelated when the contribution of age and IQ to the relation was removed. Furthermore, posed and spontaneous productions of expressions were not related. Sociometric preference scores but not rating scores were predicted by the ability to discriminate affective expressions (R2 = .68). Sociometric preference scores were also predicted by spontaneous expressivity scores (R2 = .38) but not by the ability to pose affective expressions. No gender differences were observed on any measures. Thus, results indicate that children's discrimination ability and spontaneous expressivity predict social competence, as indexed by liking by peers. Results are discussed in terms of a social information processing model of social competence.