Abstract
Excerpt: Research conducted that evaluates the impact of psychophysiology on emotions in adulthood has expanded during recent years (Davidson et al., 2000, Kemp et al., 2015, Silvers et al., 2014), but many questions remain about the underpinnings of emotional development in infancy and childhood. Emotions are ubiquitous in development and have been studied from structural, functional and dynamic perspectives. Emotions involve subjective experiences, physiological patterns, and behavioral responses (Fox, Reeb-Sutherland, & Degnan, 2013). Structurally, emotions have traditionally been classified into basic emotions (fear, disgust, anger, surprise, happiness, and sadness) and blended/complex emotions (e.g., shame, guilt, pride) that reportedly require more self-reflection and self-evaluation (Izard et al., 2011). Emotional development also includes experiencing and learning about socioemotional events as well as individual difference in emerging emotional regulatory abilities. Emotion regulation, a pivotal construct across developmental periods, is defined as the ability to respond and adapt to emotional experiences in an age-appropriate manner (Cole, 2014). Experimental developmental psychologists, in particular, advocate for the importance of the role of genes and physiology in the development of emotions.