The effect of face mask wearing on language processing and emotion recognition in young children.

ABSTRACT: Face mask wearing was an important preventative strategy for the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. However, the effects that occluding the mouth and nose area with surgical masks could have on young children's language processing and emotion recognition skills have received little investigation. To evaluate the possible effects, the current study recruited a sample of 74 children from the North West of England (aged 4-8 years). They completed two computer-based tasks with adults wearing or not wearing surgical face masks to assess (a) language processing skills and (b) emotion recognition ability. To control for individual differences, age, sex, receptive vocabulary, early reading skills, and parent-reported social-emotional competence were included in analyses. The findings from the stu

SUBMITTER: Bourke L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9637007 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature