Development of linguistic understanding of emotions in early childhood and its application to childcare and education

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K03250
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 10020:Educational psychology-related
• Research Institution: Miyagi University of Education
• Principal Investigator: Iijima Noriko 宮城教育大学, 教育学部, 准教授 (40581351)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 池田 和浩 尚絅学院大学, 総合人間科学系, 准教授 (40560587) ; 小泉 嘉子 尚絅学院大学, 総合人間科学系, 教授 (80447119)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 注意の制御 / 感情語 / 確信度 / 特別支援保育 / 幼児

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to clarify the linguistic understanding of emotion in terms of attentional control, acquisition of emotion words, and understanding of uncertain others' emotional information, and to consider how to support the development of children who need consideration. The results revealed the following main findings.
(1) Children with behavioral control difficulties had difficulty switching their attention to emotional information. (2) There was a positive correlation between confidence of others' emotion, understanding of others' emotions, and emotional control. (3) Children with communication difficulties had difficulty in correctly evaluating the certainty of negative emotional words. (4) It was considered necessary to focus on and cultivate the ability to attentional control and to understand words that express certainty.

Free Research Field

発達心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、行動特性の困難さやコミュニケーションの困難をもつ幼児が苦手としている感情理解について、その背景となる発達メカニズムを検討した。その結果、感情理解の困難さであっても、行動統制の困難さのある子どもは注意の制御が関連し、コミュニケーションの困難さがある子どもは確信度といったあいまいな言語理解が関連しており、その背景に違いがあることを明らかにした点に学術的意義がある。また、効果的な発達支援は注意の制御や、確信度を表す言語獲得などそれぞれの苦手さに焦点を当てることの重要性を示唆できた点で社会的意義があったといえる。