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This article examines whether there are gender
differences in understanding the emotions evaluated by the
Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC). The TEC provides
a global index of emotion comprehension in children 3–11
years of age, which is the sum of the nine components that
constitute emotion comprehension: (1) recognition of facial
expressions, (2) understanding of external causes of emo-
tions, (3) understanding of desire-based emotions, (4)
understanding of belief-based emotions, (5) understanding
of the influence of a reminder on present emotional states,
(6) understanding of the possibility to regulate emotional
states, (7) understanding of the possibility of hiding emo-
tional states, (8) understanding of mixed emotions, and (9)
understanding of moral emotions. We used the answers to
the TEC given by 172 English girls and 181 boys from 3 to
8 years of age. First, the nine components into which the
TEC is subdivided were analysed for differential item
functioning (DIF), taking gender as the grouping variable.
To evaluate DIF, the Mantel–Haenszel method and logistic
regression analysis were used applying the Educational
Testing Service DIF classification criteria. The results show
that the TEC did not display gender DIF. Second, when
absence of DIF had been corroborated, it was analysed for
differences between boys and girls in the total TEC score
and its components controlling for age. Our data are com-
patible with the hypothesis of independence between gender
and level of comprehension in 8 of the 9 components of the