Some children show anger responses that are not concordant with normative appraisal of the context and are thus """"""""context inappropriate"""""""". Although context inappropriate anger might potentiate behavior problems, little is known about the emotion processing factors that might be related to it. One primary goal of this project is to investigate if context inappropriate anger might be related to differences in emotion knowledge, which in turn might elucidate which intervention processes would be most advantageous for this form of emotional behavior. The proposed research will address four issues: 1) whether levels of context inappropriate anger are related to emotion recognition and understanding of emotional situations;2) whether levels of context inappropriate anger are related to differences in behavior problems;3) whether levels of context inappropriate anger are related to differences in Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis activity in preschool age children, and 4) whether emotion knowledge is associated with differences in HPA axis activity. These goals will aid in addressing the main focus of whether individual differences in HPA axis activity (cortisol) may mediate the relationship between CI anger and behavior problems through influences on emotion knowledge. Four year-old children will participate in interviews regarding basic emotion knowledge and behavioral observations of emotion. The primary caregiver will report on temperament and context inappropriate anger and teachers will report on behavior problems. Saliva samples will be collected for assessment of HPA axis reactivity (basal cortisol, cortisol reactivity). The rarity of context inappropriate affect requires the use of questionnaire-based pre-selection procedures. The study has clinical relevance because findings on emotional understanding correlates will highlight which intervention procedures would be most advantageous for context inappropriate anger, a clinically-relevant emotional behavior. The proposed clinical and biological factors relevant for this emotional behavior also make this area of research appropriate for the NIH agenda on translational emotion research.
