Preschoolers' emotion knowledge: The role of cognitive flexibility and family interactions in financially vulnerable contexts.

Abstract

A growing number of studies recognize the importance of emotion knowledge for later child social and academic adaptation, but most studies have not considered the various components of emotion knowledge (i.e., receptive, expressive, stereotypical, and nonstereotypical emotion konwledge). This study was to better understand the role of both family interactions and cognitive flexibility on the different components of emotion knowledge in preschoolers in the context of financial insecurity. Family interactions of 85 families with children aged 3-5 were filmed during a home visit. During the same visit, emotion knowledge was measured using a puppet task, and cognitive flexibility was assessed using a standardized task. Results showed that the quality of family interactions significantly contributed to all components of emotion knowledge. Child cognitive flexibility only significantly contributed to the expressive and nonstereotyped components of emotion knowledge. No significant associations were found between household income and the different components of emotion knowledge. These results highlight the importance of considering the family environment and the interactions between all family members, as well as cognitive flexibility on preschoolers' emotion knowledge skills in the context of financial insecurity. These results offer new avenues for interventions aimed at supporting the development of these skills among low-income families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).