Influence of the wrongdoer's words and facial expressions upon the perception of apologies by children

Abstract

The present study examined children's perceptions of expressions of apology, focusing on effects of the wrongdoer's words and facial expressions. First, third, and fifth grade children (N = 346) were required to read a fictitious story in which their best friend made them angry. Next, 1 of 4 types of apology conditions was presented by means of a sentence and a picture. The results were as follows: The perceptions of the older children (third and fifth graders) were more affected by the wrongdoer's facial expressions when making the apology than were those of the first graders. However, the words used in the apology had positive effects on even the older children's anger. These findings imply that if a friend apologizes without a guilty facial expression, children's anger may be reduced even though they do not think that the friend really feels sorry, because children may be strongly affected by a social script: we should accept apologies that are offered to us.