The emergence of emotional sensitivity: Consistency guides social engagement in older toddlers

This study investigated toddlers’ sensitivity to emotional consistency and its influence on their social engagement. Sixty-eight toddlers of diverse ethnic backgrounds (39 females; 338-908 days; 79.4% White) watched videos depicting adult informants expressing emotions towards novel objects. These expressions were either consistent (e.g., always positive toward Object A) or inconsistent (e.g., both positive and negative toward Object A). Eighteen- to 24-month-olds exhibited distinct looking patterns in response to the consistent versus inconsistent informants (Cohen’s d = 0.42), demonstrating greater gaze following toward the emotionally consistent adult. Conversely, 12- to 18-month-olds did not differentiate between these conditions. Findings suggest that the ability to detect and utilize emotional consistency as a cue for social engagement emerges during the second year of life.