Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in happiness between precrawlers and crawlers. Previous literature has addressed the emotional development of typical developing infants; however, there is limited research on the specific emotion of happiness in infancy as it relates to crawling. Independent locomotion affords infants opportunities to explore distant contexts, set and meet goals, and interact socially interact with individuals that are not in close proximity, all which influence social and emotional development. The examination detailed in this article builds on previous research through the observation of typically developing precrawlers and crawlers in the context of day care settings, allowing for observations of social interactions. Using a mixed-methods design, when matched on age and gender, a paired samples t-test revealed no differences in mean happiness scores between precrawlers and crawlers. A cross-case analysis revealed an increase in happiness with the onset of crawling followed by a drop in happiness to just below baseline after 4 weeks of crawling experience.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.