The Familial Unpredictability Study will examine emotion socialization and parenting behaviors among caregivers and their six year old children, focusing on the ways in which unpredictability, negativity, and positivity in the family environment influence emotion competence and dyadic concordance.
Caregivers and children will interact together in the lab during a series of game and discussion tasks, and childrens' emotion competence capabilites will be assessed through several comprehensive emotion interviews and behavioral tasks. Caregivers and children will report on the family climate and other indices of risk and unpredictability.
This study is also intended to provide preliminary data to support a future longitudinal study evaluating these skills across time as well as in varying developmental contexts.