[Rating and standardisation of pictures from the International Affective Picture System appropriated for children. Examination of children in a field sample aged six to twelve years].

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to validate and standardise a number of pictures from the International Affective Picture System from Lang (CSEA-NIMH, 1999; Lang et al., 1999) relative to arousal and valence in 57 boys and 63 girls aged between six and twelve years.

METHOD

18 pictures with six positive, six negative and six neutral stimuli were presented to children aged between six and twelve years. The children had to rate the pictures with regard to the dimensions valence and arousal using the Self-Assessment-Manikin (SAM; Lang et at., 1980; Bradley et al., 1994), a visual rating scale.

RESULTS

Children aged between six and twelve years were able to discriminate pictures and to rate them according to the two basic dimensions of emotion valence and arousal.

CONCLUSIONS

Our selection of pictures from Lang's International Affective Picture System provides a number of standardised stimuli, which are suitable for affect induction for example in psychophysiological and neuroimaging studies in the age group of children between six and twelve years.