Emotion Expression, Emotion Awareness, and Goal Orientation: The Role of Sociometric Status, Aggression, and Gender

Julie A. Hubbard

Duke University

Participants were 111 African-American, second-grade children. Children's emotion expression was observed using a videotaped confederate paradigm in which interactions were designed to evoke emotional arousal. Emotion expression was assessed with facial, verbal intonation, and nonverbal emotional expression coding schemes. Interview data were collected regarding goal orientation and emotional experience and expression.

Rejected children expressed both happiness and anger to a greater extent than average children. Boys expressed more anger than girls, while girls expressed more sadness than boys.

Rejected children endorsed instrumental goals over social goals.

Interactions among Sociometric Status, Aggression, and Gender emerged for children's reports of emotional experience and emotional expression.