Preschool-aged children's understanding of gratitude: Relations with emotion and mental state knowledge
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Susan D. Calkins, Professor (Creator)
- Esther M. Leerkes, Professor (Creator)
- Stuart Marcovitch, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology (Creator)
- Marion O'Brien, Professor, Director of Family Research Center and Associate Dean for Research (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: Developmental precursors to children's early understanding of gratitude were examined. A diverse group of 263 children was tested for emotion and mental state knowledge at ages 3 and 4, and their understanding of gratitude was measured at age 5. Children varied widely in their understanding of gratitude, but most understood some aspects of gratitude-eliciting situations. A model-building path analysis approach was used to examine longitudinal relations among early emotion and mental state knowledge and later understanding of gratitude. Children with a better early understanding of emotions and mental states understand more about gratitude. Mental state knowledge at age 4 mediated the relation between emotion knowledge at age 3 and gratitude understanding at age 5. The current study contributes to the scant literature on the early emergence of children's understanding of gratitude.
Preschool-aged children's understanding of gratitude: Relations with emotion and mental state knowledge
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Created on 4/2/2014
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Language: English
- Date: 2012
- Keywords
- Child Development, Child Psychology, Preschool Children, Emotion, Gratitude, Mental State Knowledge