Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Children's understanding of emotional facial expressions and verbal labels

  • Published:
Journal of Nonverbal Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Preschool, kindergarten, first and second-grade children were told twelve stories describing emotion-inducing events. After each story the subjects were presented either with three emotion labels (e.g., “happy,” “sad,” “surprised”) or with facial expressions of three emotions. Subjects were asked to choose the label or expression appropriate for the story's main character. Data analysis showed that children's accuracy increased with age. Performance was high on both response measures but recognition of labels exceeded that of facial expressions. Some of the six emotions studied (e.g., happiness and sadness) were recognized more easily than others (surprise, fear, and anger), with disgust being correctly identified least often.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Boucher, J. & Brandt, M. Judgment of emotion: American and Malay antecedents.Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 1981,12(3), 272–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns, N. & Cavey, L. Age differences in empathic ability among children.Canadian Journal of Psychology 1957,11 227–230.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Camras, L. A. Children's understanding of facial expressions used during conflict encounters.Child Development 1980,51 879–885.

    Google Scholar 

  • Camras, L. A. Socialization of affect communication. In M. Lewis (Ed.),The socialization of affect, in press.

  • Camras, L. A. & Brusa, J.Children's judgments of emotion from face and context. Unpublished manuscript, 1983.

  • Camras, L. A., Grow, G., & Ribordy, S. Recognition of emotional expressions by abused children.Journal of Clinical and Child Psychology 1983,12(3), 325–328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caron, R., Caron, A., & Meyers, R. Abstraction of invariant face expressions in infancy.Child Development 1982,53 1008–1015.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dashiell, J. A new method for measuring reactions for facial expressions of emotions.Psychological Bulletin 1927,24 174–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. & Fox, N. Asymmetrical brain activity discriminates between positive and negative affective stimuli in human infants.Science 1982,218 1235–1237.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, P. & Friesen, W. Constants across cultures in the face and emotion.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1971,17(2), 124–129.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, P. & Friesen, W. V.Unmasking the face. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, P. & Friesen, W.Facial action coding system: A technique for the measurement of facial movement. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, P. & Oster, H. Review of research, 1970–1980. In P. Ekman (Ed.),Emotion in the human face 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felleman, E. S., Barden, R. C., Carlson, C. R., Rosenberg, L., & Masters, J. Children's and adults' recognition of spontaneous and posed emotional expressions in young children.Developmental Psychology 1983,19(3), 405–413.

    Google Scholar 

  • Field, T. & Walden, T. Production and discrimination of facial expressions by preschool children.Child Development 1982,53 1299–1311.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Field, T., Woodson, R., Greenberg, R., & Cohen, D. Discrimination and imitation of facial expressions by neonates.Science 1982,218 179–181.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gates, G. An experimental study of the growth of social perception.Journal of Educational Psychology 1923,14 449–461.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, J. & Ekman, P.Age and the recognition of facial expressions of emotion. Unpublished manuscript, 1973.

  • Izard, C. E.The face of emotion. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, M. & Michaelson, L.Children's emotions and moods. New York: Plenum Press, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  • Odom, R. & Lemond, C. Developmental differences in the perception and production of facial expressions.Child Development 1973,43 359–369.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oster, H. “Recognition” of emotional expression in infancy? In M. Lamb and L. Sherrod (Eds.),Infant social cognition. Hinsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichenbach, L. & Masters, J. Children's use of expressive and contextual cues in judgments of emotion.Child Development 1983,54 993–1004.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walden, T. & Field, T. Discrimination of facial expressions by preschool children.Child Development 1982,53 1312–1319.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, DePaul University, 2323 N. Seminary Ave., 60614, Chicago, Illinois

    Linda A. Camras & Kevin Allison

Authors
  1. Linda A. Camras
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kevin Allison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

The authors wish to thank the children, staff, and parents of St. Chrysostom's Day School and St. Clement's School for their generous cooperation in this study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Camras, L.A., Allison, K. Children's understanding of emotional facial expressions and verbal labels. J Nonverbal Behav 9, 84–94 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00987140

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00987140

Keywords

Search

Navigation