Japanese Children's Understanding of the Distinction Between Real and Apparent Emotion

Abstract

Japanese children's understanding of the difference between real and apparent emotion was investigated in a replication of Harris, Donnelly, Guz and Pitt-Watson (1986). Children aged 4 and 6 years listened to stories featuring a protagonist in a situation where it would be appropriate to really feel a positive or negative emotion and to mask that emotion. Subjects were then asked about the real emotion felt and the apparent emotion shown by the protagonist. The results demonstrated that 6-year-olds understand the distinction between real and apparent emotion more systematically than 4-year-olds. A comparison with the performance of English children supports the conclusion that insight into the distinction between real and apparent emotion is dependent upon an underlying cognitive competency and relatively unaffected by socialisation differences.