TITLE:
A Review Study of Psychometric Functioning of a Picture Scale to Assess Joy in Childhood
AUTHORS:
Laura Beatriz Oros, María Cristina Richaud de Minzi
KEYWORDS:
Positive Emotions, Joy, Assessment, Children
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.6 No.3,
February
12,
2015
ABSTRACT: The early
emergence of emotional understanding by means of facial expressions allows the
assessment of basic emotions from young ages through pictures or photographs of
human faces. This evaluation strategy allows children, with limited language to
reveal feelings that neither investigators nor clinicians would be able to
obtain verbally. The present work presents a non-verbal activity aimed at
testing children’s joy. It is based on a visual analogue scale integrated by
seven pictures of infant facial expressions. This scale has the advantage of
presenting an animated design, more friendly and appealing than simplified face
scales. Its psychometric functioning, revised from different studies,
demonstrates that it is a reliable and valid alternative to analyze the
experience of joy in small children.