Related Experiment Videos
Spontaneous expressive control in blind and sighted children
P M Cole1, P A Jenkins, C T Shott
1University of Houston.
Child Development
|June 1, 1989
Summary
Blind children can control negative emotions just like sighted children. This study shows blindness does not prevent spontaneous expressive control of disappointment.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Emotional Regulation
Background:
- Understanding emotional expression in children is crucial for social development.
- The impact of sensory impairments, like blindness, on emotional communication requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how congenital blindness affects the spontaneous expressive control of negative emotions in children.
- To compare the emotional expression and regulation strategies of blind and sighted children.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 12 congenitally blind children and 12 age-, sex-, and school-matched sighted children.
- Observational analysis of spontaneous facial displays and verbal remarks when presented with a disappointing prize.
Main Results:
- Blind children showed comparable positive facial displays to sighted children when disappointed.
- Blind children were less likely to spontaneously discuss their emotional control but used neutral remarks.
- Older blind children demonstrated awareness of verbal control in emotion communication.
Conclusions:
- Congenital blindness does not impede the spontaneous expressive control of negative emotions.
- Blind children utilize similar, and sometimes verbal, strategies for emotion regulation as sighted peers.