The influence of stimulus affective value on children's patterns of visual selection

Two studies examined the role played by stimulus affective characteristics in determining children's patterns of visual selection. In a semi-natural experimental environment it was observed that children, unlike adults, seek out and explore stimuli rated as unpleasant or expressing negative emotions as well as those rated as pleasant or expressing positive emotions. That observation was discussed in terms of its compatibility with a hedonistic view of man, and its implications for understanding developmental changes in individual responses to affect.