Larsen Jeff T, To Yen M, Fireman Gary
Texas Tech University, TX 79409, USA.
Psychol Sci. 2007 Feb;18(2):186-91. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01870.x.
Though some models of emotion contend that happiness and sadness are mutually exclusive in experience, recent findings suggest that adults can feel happy and sad at the same time in emotionally complex situations. Other research has shown that children develop a better conceptual understanding of mixed emotions as they grow older, but no research has examined children's actual experience of mixed emotions. To examine developmental differences in the experience of mixed emotions, we showed children ages 5 to 12 scenes from an animated film that culminated with a father and daughter's bittersweet farewell. In subsequent interviews, older children were more likely than younger children to report experiencing mixed emotions. These results suggest that in addition to having a better conceptual understanding of mixed emotions, older children are more likely than younger children to actually experience mixed emotions in emotionally complex situations.
尽管一些情绪模型认为，快乐和悲伤在体验中是相互排斥的，但最近的研究结果表明，在情绪复杂的情况下，成年人可以同时感到快乐和悲伤。其他研究表明，随着年龄的增长，儿童对混合情绪有更好的概念理解，但没有研究考察过儿童对混合情绪的实际体验。为了研究混合情绪体验中的发展差异，我们向5至12岁的儿童展示了一部动画电影中的场景，该场景以父女苦乐参半的告别告终。在随后的访谈中，年龄较大的孩子比年龄较小的孩子更有可能报告经历了混合情绪。这些结果表明，除了对混合情绪有更好的概念理解外，年龄较大的孩子比年龄较小的孩子更有可能在情绪复杂的情况下实际体验到混合情绪。
