Young Children's Narratives about Positive and Negative Events Nominated by Parents or Children.

A sample of 50 preschoolers (28 five-year olds and 22 six-year olds) and their mothers participated in a study of how young children talk spontaneously about emotional events. Mothers were first asked to provide two positive and two negative events that their child had experienced, and one activity that the child routinely performed. Children were then individually asked to talk freely about five events. Three of these events were those generated by the mothers (one positive event, one negative event, and the routine activity), but children also provided one positive and one negative event about which they wanted to talk. Events suggested by mothers and positive events were more likely to be specific events, whereas negative events and events that the children provided were more often recurring events. Children talked more about the motherprovided and positive events. In particular, they provided more information about places and objects for the positive events, and about places, subjects, objects, and activities for events the mother generated. Children also used more emotionally positive words than negative words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]