Everyday Emotions and Behaviors in Young Children

This project investigated the emotions and behaviors of preschool-aged children from low-income families with the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR; Mehl, Pennebaker, Crow, Dabbs, & Price, 2001). The current version of the EAR is an app for the iPhone or iPod that captures words and sounds from the individual’s natural environment that can be coded and/or transcribed for linguistic, emotional, behavioral, and social content. Studying the emotions and behaviors of preschool-aged children from low-income families with the EAR will deepen the appreciation of young children’s resilience during daily life and would also inform efforts to prevent early social and behavioral difficulties.

Aims of this project included:

  1. Assess emotional and behavioral indicators of resilience among low-income preschoolers and their parents during daily life.
  2. Examine the roles of family-level risk and protective factors in resilience during daily life.
  3. Explore the role of oxytocin in young chldren’s resilience during daily life.

Co-Investigators were Dr. Erika Bocknek and Dr. Francesca Luca.