Development of Emotional Prosody Recognition among Japanese Preschool Children

Preschool years constitute a crucial period for the development of emotional prosody recognition, which is a fundamental skill necessary for establishing positive interpersonal relationships. However, there is a dearth of research examining the development of emotional prosody recognition and gender differences among Japanese preschool children of various ages. To address this gap, this study aimed to investigate emotional prosody recognition in 69 Japanese children aged four and five. The findings revealed that both four- and five-year-old Japanese children demonstrated accurate recognition of happy prosody. Moreover, there was a significant improvement in the recognition of angry and sad prosody between the ages of four and five, with Japanese girls exhibiting higher accuracy in recognizing happy and sad prosody. Consequently, Japanese boys under the age of five may exhibit limited proficiency in recognizing happy and sad prosody, highlighting the potential benefits of additional support for their social-emotional development.