Accuracy of vocal emotional communications among children and adults and the power of negative emotions.
Two tapes of six emotions (anger, fear, sadness, contentment, happiness, love) recorded by child and adult speakers were played to child and adult listeners to determine whether (a) each group of listeners responds more accurately to positive or negative emotions; (b) each group of speakers communicates positive or negative emotions more accurately; (c-g) there were specific ways in which children adn adults differ in accuracy of perceiving and communicating the six emotions studied. Two hundred and ten white, male, middle-class Ss were used. It was found that (a) all listener groups perceived negative emotions more accurately; (b) all speaker groups communicated negative emotions more accurately; (c) there was a developmental trend in the ability to accurately perceive vocal communication; (d) children and adults did not differ significantly in the ability to express emotions; (e) adults perceived fear more accurately; (f) children communicated fear more accurately; (g) adults communicated sadness more accurately than children.
D000367:Age Factors; D000786:Anger; D001307:Auditory Perception; D003142:Communication; D004644:Emotions; D005239:Fear; D006240:Happiness; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D008149:Love; D014831:Voice