The role of emotion in early learning

Abstract Early learning is increasingly understood as a dynamic, multifaceted process embedded in the everyday lives of infants and young children. In this article, we focus on a critical yet relatively unacknowledged aspect of early learning: emotion. We begin by exploring the potential contribution of research on emotion to theories of early learning. We then review research on developmental cascades underpinned by dynamic, multimodal processes that characterize the first year of life. We highlight the rich, emotional nature of infant-caregiver interactions from the very first few days of life and how, after gross motor transitions, such exchanges create interpersonal contexts for infants’ interactions with their environment. We consider emerging research in the everyday learning environments of infants and young children that demonstrates the extent to which these contexts are emotionally rich and how they affect early learning. Ultimately, we aim to broaden appreciation of emotion as an essential component of early learning.