Emotion understanding: A cross-cultural comparison between Italian and German preschoolers

Italy and Germany belong to the Latin and the Germanic cultural cluster, respectively, and show, e.g., diverse languages, religious practices, rearing styles, and socialization goals. Given potential cultural differences in the developmental goals of independence and interdependence, the present work sought to explore developmental differences between Italian and German 3–6-year-old children's understanding of emotion assessed by the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC). On average, Italian (n = 114) compared to German (n = 108) preschoolers mastered more TEC components at the ages 3 and 5. On component level, however, the samples only differed on the component Hiding: more Italian compared to German preschoolers understood that expressed and felt emotion may differ. Cultural differences within the Western industrial world thus likely relate to specific components rather than overall competence. Results will be discussed in relation to cultural belonging, controlling for maternal educational level, presence of siblings, and multilingualism.