emotions and action in a developmental perspective1 Paul van Geert & Henderien Steenbeek University of Groningen Emotions in developmental perspective: a Dynamic Systems Approach (of a functionalist approach) Paul van Geert & Henderien Steenbeek University of Groningen Emotions in developmental perspective: a Dynamic Systems Approach (of a functionalist approach)

emotions and action in a developmental perspective2 OverviewOverview

3 Overview  Theory about emotions  Our interaction-emotion model  based on functionalist approach  based on dynamic systems approach  Application  Simulation of various types of children  Validation of the model based on empirical observations  Conclusion and discussion

emotions and action in a developmental perspective4 Theory about emotions

emotions and action in a developmental perspective5 Starting point?  What is the starting point?  A definition of emotion?  How does this definition of emotion determine our view on how emotions function in behavior?  Functional model of an organism?  How does this model of an organism determine our view of what emotions are?

emotions and action in a developmental perspective6 Functionalist approach (1 of 2)  cognitive-social theories  Central aspect: appraisal  necessity of cognition  Explain an emotion on the basis of its function  The function is an appraisal of the situation in relation to concerns (Frijda)  Debate about existence of basic emotions  biosocial theories  Biologically determined  E.g. basic emotions

emotions and action in a developmental perspective7 Functionalist approach (2 of 2) Campos (1994)  Emotion is relational rather than intra-psychic  Close interrelation between emotion and goals  Expressions as social signals  Physiology of emotions can regulate and be regulated by social processes  The emergence of empirical investigations of emotions

emotions and action in a developmental perspective8 dynamic systems approach  Emotion is a self-organizing process  M. Lewis, L. Camras, …  Interactions between variables make the process  Emotions, expressions, behavior, context …  A. Fogel  Iterative process  Influence from process in time t to process in time t+1 No dynamic model available at this time? Research in “human” robotics… Considerably easier to model …

emotions and action in a developmental perspective9 Common themes  Emotion is relational  As part of interaction of individual with environment  Interrelation with other variables within the individual, e.g. goals  Variables that form an emotion, e.g. appraisal, drive, feelings, expression  Emotion is social  Influence on social process  Influence from social process  Real time and developmental time

emotions and action in a developmental perspective10 Interaction-emotion model Theory Functionalist approach Interaction-emotion model Theory Functionalist approach

emotions and action in a developmental perspective11 Process at one moment  The behavior of an individual is driven by the appraisal of the situation  Appraisal relates to the concerns of the individual  and is translated into an emotional expression

emotions and action in a developmental perspective12 What is a concern? Preferred Realized

emotions and action in a developmental perspective13 Concern and Drive Drive RP -

emotions and action in a developmental perspective14 Various Concerns and Drives Drive RP - Involvement RP - Autonomy Drive

emotions and action in a developmental perspective15 Concern – Drive – Emotion - Behavior D Emotional Appraisal RP - Behavior Emotional Expression

emotions and action in a developmental perspective16 Interaction-emotion model Theory Dynamic System approach Interaction-emotion model Theory Dynamic System approach

emotions and action in a developmental perspective17 Process from moment to moment  Iterative process  Influence from process in time t on process in time t + 1  Social process  Influence from individual 1 to individual 2 and 2 to 1

emotions and action in a developmental perspective18 Research question  Can we make a dynamic systems simulation model that generates distinct patterns  of behavioral interaction  of emotional expressions  for different types of individuals, comparable with empirical findings?  Children in grade 1 in a play situation  Different sociometric status

emotions and action in a developmental perspective19 Predictions from the literature  Popular children show more positive emotions than average/rejected  in parent-child interaction (Black and Logan, 1995)  In child-child interaction (Rubin, 1998)  Biggest difference between rejected and popular children

emotions and action in a developmental perspective20 The model: one moment Child 1 Child 2 D EA RP - B EE D EA PR - B EE

emotions and action in a developmental perspective21 The model: two moments D EA RP - B EE D EA PR - B EE D EA RP - B EE D EA PR - B EE Moment 1 Moment 2

emotions and action in a developmental perspective22 D EA RP - B EE D EA PR - B EE Influence of Behavior D EA RP - B EE D EA PR - B EE Moment 1 Moment 2

emotions and action in a developmental perspective23 Influence of expression D EA RP - B EE D EA PR - B EE D EA RP - B EE D EA PR - B EE Moment 1 Moment 2

emotions and action in a developmental perspective24 Interaction-emotion model Application Simulation of types of children Interaction-emotion model Application Simulation of types of children

emotions and action in a developmental perspective25 Basic variables - input (1)  Concerns  The strenght of the concerns in relation to each other  Behaviors  The contribution of behavior to the realisation of the concern

emotions and action in a developmental perspective26 Basic variables - input (2)  Emotional Appraisal and Expressions  The ease with which an appraisal is translated in an expression  The contribution of expression to the preference of a concern  Basic principles of Behavior  Symmetry (mirror what the other person does)

emotions and action in a developmental perspective27 inputparameters Inputparameters which do we distinguish?what can be manipulated? ConcernsInvolvementThe strength of the concerns Autonomyin relation to each other Contribution behaviourPlaying AloneThe strength of the contribution to realisation ofPlaying Togetherof behaviour to the realisation of concernsthe concern Emotional appraisalPositive expressionThe ease with which and expressionNeutral expressionevaluation is translated in Negative expressionan expression Contribution expressionInfluence of positive expressionThe strength of the contribution to preference ofof expression to the preference of concernsIInfluence of negative expressionthe concern Basic principlesContinuityThe strength of the basic principles of behaviourSymmetryin relation to each other

emotions and action in a developmental perspective28 Types of children average status partner: popular I stronger than A -much stronger than I: average A:high Pos:moderate Neg:difficult Pos:big Neg:big C: average S:big All children have similar parameter values, except in the context of playing with a child of a higher sociometric status Demonstration

emotions and action in a developmental perspective29 Validation with empirical data Validation with empirical data

emotions and action in a developmental perspective30 Videotapes of children in grade 1  dyads  A child with a popular status in interaction with an average play partner  A child with a rejected status in interaction with an average play partner  Control group: two average status children  7 minutes play  Three times, with interval of approximately one and a half month

emotions and action in a developmental perspective31 Empirical variables Variables  Emotional expression  Quantitative aspect  From very positive to very negative  10 categories of intensity  Contribution to coherence  Verbal turns, nonverbal turns, focus Distinctive patterns for dyads with popular and rejected children?

emotions and action in a developmental perspective32 Validation of the model  Use of videotaped interactions  Comparison of variables / output model  Emotional expression  Positive, neutral and negative expression  Behavior  Playing Together and alone: contribution to coherence  Comparison of  characteristics of patterns  averages

emotions and action in a developmental perspective33 Results Empirical data Validation of the model Results Empirical data Validation of the model

emotions and action in a developmental perspective34 Results empirical data  Emotional expression  Children with a rejected status show significantly more positive expressions than children of other status groups (duration)  Dyads including a child with a rejected status show a high correlation in positive emotions (duration); correlation considerably higher than in other dyads  The highest peak in the expression of the play partner of a child with a rejected status is significantly more often negative (intensity)

emotions and action in a developmental perspective35 Model output: Proportion positive expressions per child

emotions and action in a developmental perspective36 Model output: Proportion positive expressions per child

emotions and action in a developmental perspective37 Emotional expression model and empirical data along the time axis model empirie

emotions and action in a developmental perspective38 Emotional expression smooth graph model and empirical data along time axis model data

emotions and action in a developmental perspective39 Interaction-emotion model Developmental perspective Interaction-emotion model Developmental perspective

emotions and action in a developmental perspective40 Developmental perspective  Time scales  Real time and developmental time  Model provides insight into real time properties of emotional expression in children  Influence of developmental time on real-time processes  In children with different sociometric statuses  Model provides insight into long term effects of processes in real time  Real-time interactions lead to changes in developmental processes So far, we have investigated The effect of various parameter sets on the model output The distribution of the values produced by the model The distribution of empirical values The agreement between empirical data and model output So far, we have investigated The effect of various parameter sets on the model output The distribution of the values produced by the model The distribution of empirical values The agreement between empirical data and model output So far, we have investigated Simple learning effects on the preferred values of the concerns, based on repeated runs of the model So far, we have investigated Simple learning effects on the preferred values of the concerns, based on repeated runs of the model

emotions and action in a developmental perspective41 ConclusionConclusion

emotions and action in a developmental perspective42 Conclusion (1)  Theoretical starting point:  from modelling interactions (organismic level) we try to get a grip on the role and properties of emotions  our model encompasses both functionalist and dynamic systems theory  Characteristics of emotional expression in children:  Emotions are determined not only by child characteristics, but also by attribution from peers (play partners)  It’s the dyadic process that creates the specific patterns of expressions, not the individual

emotions and action in a developmental perspective43 Conclusion (2)  Developmental perspective  Two way influence  from and on scale of real time-time  Sociometric differences in expression  Literature : opposite findings  Model provides means to study conditions under which specific behaviors and expressions occur  Influence of contexts