Peculiarities of the Emotions Manifestation in Speech and Facial Expressions by 7–8 Years Old Children

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to study the peculiarities of the reflection of emotional states “neutral (calm state)–sadness–joy–anger–fear” in the speech and facial expressions of 7–8 years old children and to identify differences in the expression of emotions by boys and girls of this age. The work was carried out as part of the study of the emotional sphere of children with typical and atypical development using the CEDM method for assessing the emotional development of children. 14 children (7 boys, 7 girls)—primary school students—took part in the study. The ability of children to express emotions in the characteristics of voice and facial expressions and to recognize emotions was analyzed. For this purpose, speech recording and video recording of children’s facial expressions and behavior, instrumental and perceptual analysis of emotional speech, and automatic analysis of facial expression were carried out. The children’s heart rate was recorded, and the leading hemisphere by speech was determined using a dichotic listening. The features of the reflection of the emotional states of boys and girls in the characteristics of speech are revealed. The specificity of reflecting the emotional states of children in facial expression is described. The connections between the psychophysiological indicators of children and their reflection of emotional states in their voice and facial expressions were determined.