Quantifying Children's Emotions with the Emotion Intensity-Linkage Function Model

描述（由申请人提供）：发脾气是情绪发展的一个几乎普遍和高度显著的特征。从父母的角度来看，他们是最常见的儿童行为问题之一。从精神病理学的角度来看，持续到8岁的发脾气预示着未来的反社会行为。从科学的角度来说，发脾气是一扇通往情绪的窗户，这种情绪是如此强烈，以至于无法通过其他方式观察到。我们在这项研究中的目标是完成一个定量的，基于行为的模型的情绪/行为过程，包括发脾气。我们之前的因素分析和多维尺度收敛表明，发脾气是由两个独立的，但在时间上重叠的情绪/行为过程，愤怒和痛苦。愤怒与特定的行为有关，这些行为按强度排序，例如，低愤怒与跺脚有关，高愤怒与尖叫有关。我们已经成功地将发脾气的情绪起伏建模为贝塔函数，并将其对行为的控制建模为对数多项式的连锁函数。“在这项研究中，我们将把痛苦行为（哭泣，发牢骚，摔倒，寻求安慰）纳入一个2变量，情绪强度-行为联系函数（EI- BLF）模型，该模型将指定每种情绪对一组发脾气行为的影响。该模型还将包括父母干预对儿童情绪的影响。一个已经开发的方法，在家里发脾气的音频/视频记录将提供新的，时间上更精确的数据的声谱分析的发脾气发声，FACs编码的面部表情，和GEE统计技术用于构建模型。这项工作将提高对愤怒的升级，调节和社会化的理解;为攻击的社会信息处理模型提供信息;并通过缩放与各种愤怒行为相关的愤怒强度来帮助临床研究，诊断和治疗。更一般地说，EI-BLF模型将有助于定义情绪及其行为表达之间的关系。公共卫生相关性：这个项目将完成儿童发脾气时愤怒和悲伤的情绪强度-行为联系功能模型。这个新颖的、定量的、基于行为的模型将测量那些不可靠的自己感觉的报告者的幼儿的情绪。该模型的应用将提高对愤怒的升级，调节和社会化的理解;告知攻击的社会信息处理模型;并通过缩放与各种临床条件相关的愤怒强度来有益于临床研究，诊断和治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Tantrums are a near universal and highly salient feature of emotional development. From parents' perspective, they are among the most commonly reported childhood behavioral problems. From a psychopathological perspective, tantrums persisting to age 8 predict future antisocial behavior. Scientifically, tantrums are a window onto emotions so intense as to be otherwise inaccessible to observation. Our goal in this study is to complete a quantitative, behaviorally based model of the emotional/behavioral processes comprising tantrums. Our previous factor analyses and multidimensional scaling converged to show that tantrums are composed of two independent but temporally overlapping emotional/ behavioral processes, Anger and Distress. Anger is associated with specific behaviors that are ordered by intensity, e.g., low anger is associated with stamping and high anger with screaming. We have already successfully modeled the rise and fall of tantrum anger as a Beta function and its control of the behaviors that express it as logit- polynomial "linkage functions." In this study, we will incorporate Distress behaviors (crying, whining, dropping down, comfort seeking) into a 2 variable, Emotion Intensity-Behavioral Linkage Function (EI- BLF) model that will specify the influence of each emotion on the set of tantrum behaviors. The model will also include the effects of parental intervention on children's emotions. An already developed methodology for audio/video recording of in-home tantrums will provide new, more temporally precise data for the acoustic spectral analyses of tantrum vocalizations, FACs coding of facial expression, and GEE statistical techniques used to construct the model. This work will improve the understanding of the escalation, regulation and socialization of anger; inform social information processing models of aggression; and benefit clinical research, diagnosis and treatment by scaling the intensity of anger associated with various angry behaviors. More generally, the EI-BLF model will help define the relationship between emotions and their behavioral expression. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project will complete the Emotion Intensity-Behavioral Linkage Function model of anger and sadness in children's tantrums. This novel, quantitative, behaviorally-based model will measure the emotions of young children who are unreliable reporters of their own feelings. Application of this model will improve the understanding of the escalation, regulation and socialization of anger; inform social information processing models of aggression; and benefit clinical research, diagnosis and treatment by scaling the intensity of anger associated with various clinical conditions.