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Do Emotions Speak a Universal Language? English-Speaking Preschoolers' and Adults' Detection of Emotional Prosody in an Unfamiliar Language

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Title: Do Emotions Speak a Universal Language? English-Speaking Preschoolers' and Adults' Detection of Emotional Prosody in an Unfamiliar Language
Language: English
Authors: Tyler Birse, Yomna Waly, Craig G. Chambers, Susan A. Graham (ORCID 0000-0001-7667-1650)
Source: Infant and Child Development. 2026 35(2).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Psychological Patterns, Preschool Children, Adults, Emotional Response, Suprasegmentals, Familiarity
DOI: 10.1002/icd.70100
ISSN: 1522-7227
1522-7219
Abstract: We examined English-speaking preschoolers' and adults' attention to emotional prosody in an unfamiliar language when asked to: (a) match emotional prosody with emotional faces; and (b) use emotional prosody to identify a speaker's intended referent. In Experiment 1, 4-year-olds (N = 36, M = 4.16 years; 18 females) and adults (N = 38, M = 21.18 years; 26 females) matched happy and sad Polish utterances to a corresponding emotional face, as evidenced through pointing decisions. In Experiment 2, adults (N = 36, M = 20.17 years; 31 females), but not 4-year-olds (N = 36, M = 4.11 years; 18 females), matched the same emotional utterances to objects whose properties signalled an association with happiness or sadness (e.g., intact vs. broken toy). These findings demonstrate that 4-year-olds and adults can recognise emotional prosody in an unfamiliar language, however, only adults are successful at extending this information to other kinds of emotion-relevant decisions.
Abstractor: As Provided
Notes: https://osf.io/n2qpk/?view_only=621a74f95b034387adf24624badb3873
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1503802
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Do Emotions Speak a Universal Language? English-Speaking Preschoolers' and Adults' Detection of Emotional Prosody in an Unfamiliar Language
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tyler+Birse%22">Tyler Birse</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yomna+Waly%22">Yomna Waly</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Craig+G%2E+Chambers%22">Craig G. Chambers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Susan+A%2E+Graham%22">Susan A. Graham</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7667-1650">0000-0001-7667-1650</externalLink>)
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: We examined English-speaking preschoolers' and adults' attention to emotional prosody in an unfamiliar language when asked to: (a) match emotional prosody with emotional faces; and (b) use emotional prosody to identify a speaker's intended referent. In Experiment 1, 4-year-olds (N = 36, M = 4.16 years; 18 females) and adults (N = 38, M = 21.18 years; 26 females) matched happy and sad Polish utterances to a corresponding emotional face, as evidenced through pointing decisions. In Experiment 2, adults (N = 36, M = 20.17 years; 31 females), but not 4-year-olds (N = 36, M = 4.11 years; 18 females), matched the same emotional utterances to objects whose properties signalled an association with happiness or sadness (e.g., intact vs. broken toy). These findings demonstrate that 4-year-olds and adults can recognise emotional prosody in an unfamiliar language, however, only adults are successful at extending this information to other kinds of emotion-relevant decisions.
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