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Updated: Sep 8, 2025
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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
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Emotion understanding in infants and young children: How input shapes emotional development
Vanessa LoBue1, Marianella Casasola2, Lisa M Oakes3
1Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA.
Advances in Child Development and Behavior
|September 5, 2025
Summary
Infants and young children develop emotion understanding through expression, regulation, and perception. This process is influenced by cognitive changes, environmental input, and other developmental domains.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Affective Science
Background:
- Emotion understanding is crucial for social interaction and well-being.
- Previous research has not fully explored the impact of emotional input on development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the developmental literature on how infants and young children learn about emotions.
- To highlight the process-based trajectory of emotional development.
- To emphasize the role of emotional input and concurrent developmental changes.
Main Methods:
- Review of developmental literature focusing on emotion expression, regulation, and perception.
- Analysis of the interplay between cognitive abilities and emotional development.
- Examination of contextual, cultural, and experiential influences.
Main Results:
- Emotional development follows a protracted trajectory, influenced by cognitive maturation.
- Environmental and cultural factors significantly shape emotion understanding.
- Emotional input plays a critical, yet often overlooked, role.
Conclusions:
- Emotion understanding develops through expression, regulation, and perception.
- Concurrent development in motor skills, language, theory of mind, and attachment impacts emotion understanding.
- Future research should systematically investigate the effects of emotional input on children's emotional development.
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