Abstract: Though some models of emotion contend that happiness and sadness are mutually exclusive in experience, a considerable number of studies suggest that mixed emotions do exist. In other words, people can feel happy and sad at the same time in emotionally complex situations. In the field of developmental psychology, mixed emotions are defined as the emotional state with two different or opposite-valence emotions in a same situation. The existence of mixed emotions is based on the same situation or condition. Thus, multiple experiences of emotions can co-occur. Several researchers such as Harter & Buddin, Harris and Larson et al., contend that understanding and experience of mixed emotions are different from each other. Large quantity research has shown that children develop a better conceptual understanding of mixed emotions. Researcher assessed the time course of mixed emotions by asking children whether they felt opposite valence emotions ‘‘at the same time, or first one and then the other.’’ Most 4- and 5-year-olds thought that the protagonist would merely feel happy or sad and rejected the notion that the protagonist would feel both happy and sad. Most 7- to 8-year-olds and virtually all 10- to 11-year-olds, however, believed that the story’s protagonist would have mixed emotions. In sum, children’s conceptual understanding of mixed emotions develops with age. Yet, little research has examined children’s actual experience of mixed emotions. Recent findings show that older children are more likely than younger children to report experiencing mixed emotions. These results suggest that in addition to having a better conceptual understanding of mixed emotions, older children are more likely than younger children to actually experience mixed emotions in emotionally complex situations. Language is one of the most important factors which affect the development of mixed emotions. As the vector of cognitive representation and a tool for social interaction, the development of language improves the ability of comprehension, which makes children get more opportunities to communicate emotions with each other and accordingly enhance their understanding of mixed emotions. Moreover, the Secure attachment between infant and mother as well as the Social and economic status of families are also the influence factors of mixed emotions. The discussion about mixed emotions stimulate a considerable amount of research, but the paradigm is consistent with each other. The method of clinical interview is applied to most of the studies, however, is different in material and its representation, objective’s reaction and scoring. In the future, it is necessary to break through in the paradigm and apply the implicit measurement or the method of cognitive neuroscience to explore the development of mixed emotions. Meanwhile, most of studies examined the development of mixed emotions within an important but thin slice of the life span. The developmental trajectory of mixed emotions may extend far beyond childhood and even adolescence. Thus, developmental changes in the understanding, experience, and acceptance of emotional contradiction may play out from the beginning of life to the end. So we need to expand the span of age in our studies and research the developmental trait of mixed emotions from both level and pattern.

Key words: Mixed emotions, Understanding of mixed emotions, Experience of mixed emotions, Children, Development

摘要： 混合情绪是指同一情境中同时存在两种不同或者矛盾的情绪状态，主要包括混合情绪理解和混合情绪体验两个方面，其发展模式表现为从单一情绪理解到多种情绪理解、从继时性混合到同时性混合的特点，但在具体的发展年龄特征上研究结果存在分歧。混合情绪的发展研究主要采用临床访谈法，其基本研究范式一致，但在材料的制作、刺激的呈现、被试的反应方式以及结果的处理等方面存在差异。未来，在研究范式上需要有所突破，内隐测量、认知神经科学方法等对揭示混合情绪发展规律都有其独特的优势。同时，应扩大研究对象的年龄范围，从发展水平和模式两个方面系统考察儿童混合情绪的发展特点及其影响与作用。

关键词: 混合情绪, 混合情绪理解, 混合情绪体验, 儿童, 发展