Infants appear to be able to imitate happy, sad, and surprised facial expressions very early in life.

Infants appear to be able to imitate happy, sad, and surprised facial expressions very early in life.
If an infant makes a facial expression recognizable to an observer as representing happiness, this does NOT mean that the infant must be experiencing happiness.
In terms of basic emotions, blind children exhibit spontaneous facial expressions that are fundamentally similar to those of sighted children.
Galati et al. (2003) research involving blind and sighted children found that blind children showed more negative expressions in negative situations, suggesting that they may not have learned the relevant display rules (e.g., it’s not polite to show disappointment when you get a gift you don’t like) to the same extent as their sighted counterparts.
In one or two paragraphs (of at least 10 sentences each), develop/explain in your own words the statement you picked.

Full Answer Section

       

expressions may reflect a lack of exposure to these social cues and the subsequent learning of how to modify their emotional displays in accordance with social expectations.

In essence, while basic emotional expressions seem to be innate, the nuanced display of these emotions is significantly shaped by social learning and cultural norms. The study by Galati et al. provides valuable insights into the interplay between innate emotional expression and the social influences that shape how we present our emotions to the world.

Sample Answer

       

The research by Galati et al. (2003) highlights a fascinating aspect of human emotion: the influence of social learning on emotional expression. While blind children exhibit fundamental facial expressions of basic emotions like sighted children, suggesting an innate basis for these expressions, the study revealed a crucial difference. Blind children were more likely to openly display negative emotions in situations where sighted children might suppress them. This suggests that blind children may not have learned the same degree of social rules or "display rules" regarding emotional expression.

Sighted children, through observation and social interaction, learn to modulate their emotional expressions to conform to social norms. For example, they learn to mask disappointment with a smile when receiving an unwanted gift. This social learning process, heavily influenced by visual cues and social feedback, appears less pronounced in blind children