Investigating Preschoolers' Emotional Responses to Outdoor Activities Using FaceReader

Objectives. This study aims to evaluate the emotional states of preschoolers (5–6 years old) participating in outdoor activities by using FaceReader as a facial emotion analyzer. Materials and Methods. Participants. The study included 20 preschool children (14 boys and 6 girls), aged 5 (n = 6) and 6 (n = 14), from a public preschool in Riga, Latvia. FaceReader. Emotional states were analyzed with FaceReader Version 9.1, which uses deep neural networks to predict six basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, scared, disgusted, surprised). Procedure. Children were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG, n = 10) or a control group (CG, n = 10). The IG engaged in outdoor activities (e.g., walking, games) for three 40-minute sessions per week over three weeks, while the CG did not participate in outdoor activities. Statistical Analysis. Data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, paired t-test, and Wilcoxon signed rank test (p < 0.05). Results. Significant reductions were found in sad (W = 55, z = 2.80, p = 0.002) and disgusted emotions (t (9) = 3.146, p = 0.01) in the IG, but not in the CG (sad: t (9) = −0.265, p = 0.79; disgusted: W = 2, z = −0.56, p = 0.62). No significant changes were found for happy, angry, surprised, or scared emotions in either group (p > 0.05). Conclusions. The use of FaceReader to analyze preschoolers' emotional states revealed that outdoor activities significantly reduced sadness and disgust in the intervention group, highlighting the potential of such activities to influence specific negative emotions. However, no significant changes were observed for other emotions or in the control group. These findings suggest that outdoor activities and advanced FaceReader can offer valuable insights into emotional development. Further research with larger samples is foreseen to validate and expand these results.