Emotion centered preventive-intervention for Head Start

University Of Delaware, Newark DE

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research will implement and evaluate an emotion-centered intervention, the Emotions Curriculum (EC), for economically disadvantaged children in Head Start. We followed differential emotions theory in translating findings from basic research on emotional development (emotion knowledge, emotion perception bias, emotion regulation, emotion socialization) into a thoroughly emotion-centered prevention program. A substantial part of the empirical basis for EC came from our longitudinal studies of emotional development and social behavior in Head Start children. Emotion theory, emotion research, and community (Head Start staff, teacher, parent, child) feedback from preliminary implementations of EC guided the development of EC techniques for increasing emotion knowledge, modulating emotions, and utilizing motivation inherent in emotion feelings. Such techniques and our emphasis on emotion modulation and emotion utilization represent distinctive features of EC. Effective modulation and utilization of the emotions not only reduce disruptive and aggressive behavior, they set the stage for positive social interactions and help create a classroom climate that facilitates learning and creative endeavors. Another goal of the proposed project concerns the upgrading of Head Start teachers' knowledge of the expressions, functions, regulation, and utilization of emotions and their relations to empathic prosocial responding and adaptive behavior. To evaluate the effectiveness of EC, we will use multiple informants (teachers, parents, children, independent observers). We will assess child temperament/emotionality and verbal ability as control measures and use multiple techniques to assess emotion knowledge, emotion regulation, and adaptive and maiadaptive behavior.