Toddlers and Adult Emotions

By Holly Ames/MedStar Television

Published: Wed, August 08, 2007 - 2:46 pm
Last Updated: Wed, August 08, 2007 - 3:00 pm

Adults may not always understand what toddlers are thinking, but a new study says toddlers understand what grown ups are thinking by reading adult emotions at a very early age. Experts call it emotional eavesdropping.
New Research shows that toddlers are wearing emotional antennae to observe the world around them. Betty Repacholi is a Developmental psychologist. “They’re listening and they’re watching other people’s emotional interactions and then taking that information and applying it to themselves.”
Repacholi co-authored a new study that examines how toddlers eavesdrop and then react to emotional behavior not directed at them. “Adults eavesdrop all the time,” says Repacholi. “We’re listening to people’s conversations. We’re picking up on what they’re saying, their tone of voice, et cetera. And children are doing the same thing at an emotional level.”
Researchers videotaped and observed 168 children in two experiments, to test whether toddlers eavesdrop on adults and then use that information to modify their own behavior.
In the experiment, a researcher plays with a toy and the child observes. Then a researcher play with the same toy and another researcher has an angry response. When the child is given the toy, she hesitates, watching the angry researcher. This shows she understand the anger is directed at the toy, not her
Researchers say understanding how and when infants develop emotional communications is important. It’s key to social relationships and school readiness.
The study found no gender difference in how toddlers responded, but if the angry researcher turned her back or left the room, a child usually grabbed the toy and played with it.

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