A developmental investigation of the ability to interpret affect through facial and situational stimuli

The current study attempts to examine the development of the ability to decode emotional situations depicted in cartoons (Fantie Cartoon Face Test (FCFT)) and to evaluate some of the other cognitive abilities thought to contribute to accurate emotion recognition separately. By testing children between 4-15 years of age, I found significant differences in performance on the FCFT, according to three developmental levels of performance (i.e., 4-5-year-olds, 6-8-year-olds, and 9-15-year-olds). These findings suggest improvements in performance between 5 and 6 years of age, and 8 and 9 years of age. The developmental improvement seen on the FCFT may also be dependent upon the ability to recognize facial affect and the ability to interpret and respond to situational information. Finally, the ability to recognize individual emotions develops at different times in that the children found the items related to sadness the easiest, and fear the most difficult.