Investigating the relationship between emotional contagion, emotion regulation and social competence: a developmental and comparative investigation.

The ability to understand and connect with others
underpins our social and mental wellbeing; it also
enables uniquely human skills, including in
communication and cooperation. A crucial affective
process involved in this is emotional contagion (EC),
which forms the basis of empathy. In adulthood,
constructs related to EC are associated with healthy
social functioning, which in turn is influenced by the
capacity for effective emotion regulation (ER). However,
it remains unknown how individual variability in EC and
ER shape children's ability to form and maintain healthy
relationships with others. Furthermore, it is unknown
what aspects of the interaction between these processes
are unique to humans, enabling the higher level socioemotional
functioning that defines our species. I aim to
conduct a systematic developmental investigation, with
young children (aged 3-8) from diverse socioeconomic
backgrounds, in order to identify the complex patterns
and interaction between EC, ER and social competence
and how this influences healthy social functioning. To
understand the evolutionary foundations of these
processes and their uniquely human properties, I will
augment this with complementary comparative research
in chimpanzees, our closest living relatives. To
understand the role of EC in social functioning, I will
combine innovative pupillometry experiments with Social
Network Analysis, complemented with experimental
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studies and behavioural data to measure cooperation
and ER. Research into drivers of healthy human social
development will hold key implications for social policy
on childhood, allowing us to cultivate environments
where children foster meaningful relationships, and find
ways to better support those struggling with social
isolation.