Children's ability to distinguish between enjoyment and non-enjoyment smiles

Abstract

Children's ability to distinguish between enjoyment and non-enjoyment smiles was investigated by presenting participants with short video excerpts of smiles. Enjoyment smiles differed from non-enjoyment smiles by greater symmetry and by appearance changes produced in the eye region by the Cheek Raiser action. The results indicate that 6- and 7-year-old children have the abilities to detect these differences and are able to interpret them with above chance-level accuracy. Sensitivity was higher for the symmetry of the smiles than for the appearance changes produced in the eye region and improved in later childhood. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.