Scripts or Components? A Comparative Study of Basic Emotion Knowledge in Roma and Non-Roma Children

ABSTRACT

The basic aspects of emotional comprehension seem to be acquired around the age of 5. However, it is not clear whether children’s emotion knowledge is based on facial expression, organized in scripts, or determined by sociocultural context. This study aims to shed some light on these subjects by assessing knowledge of basic emotions in 4- and 5-year-old children in 2 complementary ways (semistructured interview and standardized test). We also compare children from 2 very different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds: middle-class non-Roma children (N = 86) and Roma children from extremely poor, socially marginalized families (N = 47). Research Findings: We report 3 significant findings. First, emotion knowledge appears to be organized into specific scripts associated with each basic emotion. Second, the definition of basic emotions seems to evolve from facial expressions to more complex narrative elements. Third, Roma children experience significant delays in emotion understanding and regulation compared to non-Roma children. Practice or Policy: Intervention programs could be designed with an understanding of the process of knowledge acquisition. These programs could incorporate scripts of emotions and the progressive introduction of more complex narrative elements. In addition, Roma children could especially benefit from intervention programs emphasizing emotion comprehension and regulation.

Funding

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under Grant Nos. PSI2008-02174 and EDU2013-45181-R.

Disclosure Statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under Grant Nos. PSI2008-02174 and EDU2013-45181-R.