Asynchronous understanding of basic emotions: A longitudinal study with children from 3 to 5 years old

The aim of this study was to explore the developmental pattern of basic emotion understanding in children aged 3 to 5 years. We know that children identify first facial expressions and understand later the causes of emotions, but are emotions understood at the same time, at the same developmental moment? To carry out this study, a group of 103 boys and girls between the ages of 3 and 5 were evaluated longitudinally. Through the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC) identification and causality of four basic emotions - sadness, joy, anger, and fear - were tested over three years. The results, according to previous studies, confirmed the hierarchical structure of these two components, being the identification of the facial expression the first component acquired and the understanding of the cause of the emotion the second component. In addition, it was observed that the understanding of these four emotions does not occur synchronously. For example, the cause of fear is reasonably well understood at the age of three, while the cause of anger seems to be understood later. In addition to deepening the developmental pattern of emotion knowledge, such results could help educators and clinicians to adjust educational programs aimed at improving knowledge and socio-emotional competence in children of this educational stage.