Emotion and Cognition in Infancy: Facial Expressions during Contingency Learning

Abstract

Facial expressions of 4and 6-month-old infants were coded at several points during contingency learning and contrasted with those of control subjects. Many different emotional expressions were observed and distinctive patterns of expression characterised contingent but not control subjects. Results indicated that emotion and contingency learning are closely linked in young infants and support a model of emotion and cognition as interdependent processes. Facial behaviours during learning may be valuable in conceptualising the relationship between emotional and cognitive processes in infancy.