Sherri Widen
postdoctoral fellow
Ph.D., Boston College, 2005
Office: McGuinn 428
Phone: (617) 552-6768
Email: sherrilea.widen@bc.edu
Website: www2.bc.edu/sherrilea-widen/
Academic Interests: I study the development of children’s emotion concepts. My research finds that children understand emotions in a different way than adults do. As adults, we see others as happy or sad, scared or angry, proud or jealous. Children begin with fewer, broader emotion concepts, which then differentiate as the child develops. My cognitive approach challenges traditional theories of emotional development and provides a better description of the development of children’s emotion concepts. This knowledge can, in turn, be used by parents and teachers and to identify children who need social or clinical interventions.
Undergraduate Institution/Degrees: University of British Columbia, BA, MA