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. 2013 Mar;31(Pt 1):42-56.
doi: 10.1111/j.2044-835X.2012.02077.x. Epub 2012 Mar 28.

Preschool-aged children's understanding of gratitude: relations with emotion and mental state knowledge

Jackie A Nelson  1 , Lia Beatriz de Lucca Freitas, Marion O'Brien, Susan D Calkins, Esther M Leerkes, Stuart Marcovitch
Affiliations

Preschool-aged children's understanding of gratitude: relations with emotion and mental state knowledge

Jackie A Nelson et al. Br J Dev Psychol. 2013 Mar.

Abstract

Developmental precursors to children's early understanding of gratitude were examined. A diverse group of 263 children was tested for emotion and mental state knowledge at ages 3 and 4, and their understanding of gratitude was measured at age 5. Children varied widely in their understanding of gratitude, but most understood some aspects of gratitude-eliciting situations. A model-building path analysis approach was used to examine longitudinal relations among early emotion and mental state knowledge and later understanding of gratitude. Children with a better early understanding of emotions and mental states understand more about gratitude. Mental state knowledge at age 4 mediated the relation between emotion knowledge at age 3 and gratitude understanding at age 5. The current study contributes to the scant literature on the early emergence of children's understanding of gratitude.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypothesized Path Model.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Final Model Showing Significant Paths, Controlling for PPVT at Age 3. Note: Model controls for child language. Only significant paths displayed. * p < .05, ** p < .01.
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