Journal of Early Childhood Research 2015, Vol. 13(3) 252–262 © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1476718X13497354 ecr.sagepub.com “I Know How You Feel”: Preschoolers’ emotion knowledge contributes to early school success Susanne A Denham, Hideko H Bassett and Chavaughn Brown George Mason University, USA Erin Way Alvernia University, USA Jessica Steed George Mason University, USA Abstract Differences in emotion knowledge by children’s age, gender, and socioeconomic risk status, as well as associations of emotion knowledge with executive control, social competence, and early classroom adjustment, were investigated. On emotion knowledge, 4- and 5-year-olds scored higher than 3-year- olds, with girls showing this effect more strongly. Socioeconomic risk status and emotion knowledge were negatively related. Furthermore, executive control was found to contribute to variance in emotion knowledge. Even with age, gender, socioeconomic risk status, and executive control covaried, emotion knowledge contributed to variance in social competence. Given these covariates, it contributed only indirectly to classroom adjustment, via its contribution to social competence. Implications are discussed for practice and policy attention to emotion knowledge within social–emotional curricula and assessment, targeting the period between ages 3 and 4 years, as well as children living in poverty. Keywords classroom adjustment, emotion knowledge, executive control, preschool, social competence Children are constantly attempting to understand their own and others’ behavior, and emotions play a role in this understanding, conveying crucial interpersonal information that can guide Corresponding author: Susanne A Denham, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MS 3F5, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA. Email: sdenham@gmu.edu 497354ECR 13 3 10.1177/1476718X13497354Journal of Early Childhood ResearchDenham et al. 13 Article at The University of Melbourne Libraries on October 15, 2015 ecr.sagepub.com Downloaded from