EMOTIONAL RESPONSES TO PEER PRAISE IN CHILDREN WITH AND WITHOUT A DIAGNOSED EXTERNALIZING DISORDER

For comparing externalizing and nonexternalizing children's emotional expression and appraisal of their emotional experience in response to positive peer feedback, 60 children ages 7 to 14 years (M age = 10.6), half with diagnosed externalizing disorders, were videotaped as they received positive feedback from another child and then interviewed. Al though diagnosed children typically reported a positive response to pe er compliments, they displayed more hostile and surprised emotions tha n the nondiagnosed subjects. Diagnosed children recalled fewer details of the emotion stimulus, were less sophisticated in self-understandin g of their emotions, and were less accurate in reporting their facial display compared with the nondiagnosed children. Both groups of childr en were similar in their attributions about the emotion stimulus. Only nondiagnosed children demonstrated links between their expressive beh avior and their appraisal of their emotional experience.