A total of 22 girls and 22 boys nearly equally divided between preschool and second-grade levels were asked to give three responses to each of 20 questions concerning what could make them--a same-sex child, an opposite-sex child, and an adult--feel happy, sad, angry, afraid, or surprised. Responses were feel happy, sad, angry, afraid, or surprised. Responses were coded into seven categories: material goods, fantasy, interpersonal themes, environmental events, achievement themes, food, and animals. Findings indicated that interpersonal themes and environmental events were used significantly more than other themes, whereas achievement themes were used significantly less than others. Interpersonal themes were used significantly more often than other categories as explanations for anger and sadness. Impersonal contexts were used significantly more than other categories to explain happiness and surprise. Contextual explanations involving animals were used significantly more than other emotions to explain fear, and food was used most to explain happy feelings. Older children used more interpersonal and achievement themes than did preschoolers. Girls used more interpersonal contexts than did boys, whereas boys tended to use more achievement themes than did girls. Preschoolers used more fantasy explanations for fear than did older children. In general, findings only marginally confirmed the expected greater differentiation of contextual categories with age. (RH)