The Relationship between Families' Responses to their Preschoolers' Utterances and the Preschoolers' Positive Emotions

Abstract

　　This study examined relationship between families' responses to their preschoolers' utterances and the preschoolers' positive emotions. Participants were 6 of 28 families with one 4- or 5- years old child and two parents and were videotaped at dinner table on two occasions with all members present. 3 families of the participants were higher preschoolers' positive emotions (HP families) and 3 families were lower (LP families) in 28 families. It was found that to the utterances of the preschoolers with a high necessity of the response, as for the HP families, the affirmative responses were more abundant, and the negative responses were less than the LP families. And to the utterances of the preschoolers with a low necessity of the response, as for the HP families, the irregular successions were more abundant, and the regular successions were less than the LP families. In addition, as for the HP families, how it responded according to the level of the response necessity of the preschoolers was changed, and it was not in the LP families such a change. Therefore, one condition for the preschoolers to enjoy oneself over meal with their family is for the family member to pay attention at the response necessity level of the utterance of the preschoolers, and to do an appropriate response to the level.