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Li T, Decety J, Hua Z, Li G, Yi L. Empathy in autistic children: Emotional overarousal in response to others' physical pain. Autism Res 2024. [PMID: 39087850 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Different empathic responses are often reported in autism but remain controversial. To investigate which component of empathy is most affected by autism, we examined the affective, cognitive, and motivational components of empathy in 25 5- to 8-year-old autistic and 27 neurotypical children. Participants were presented with visual stimuli depicting people's limbs in painful or nonpainful situations while their eye movements, pupillary responses, and verbal ratings of pain intensity and empathic concern were recorded. The results indicate an emotional overarousal and reduced empathic concern to others' pain in autism. Compared with neurotypical children, autistic children displayed larger pupil dilation accompanied by attentional avoidance to others' pain. Moreover, even though autistic children rated others in painful situations as painful, they felt less sorry than neurotypical children. Interestingly, autistic children felt more sorry in nonpainful situations compared with neurotypical children. These findings demonstrated an emotional overarousal in response to others' pain in autistic children, and provide important implications for clinical practice aiming to promote socio-emotional understanding in autistic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianbi Li
- Department of Psychology, Normal College, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences & Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Zihui Hua
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences & Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Guoxiang Li
- Qingdao Autism Research Institute, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Li Yi
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences & Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Kang KA, Kim SJ, Kang S, Lee J. Effects of a Violence Prevention Education Program Using Empathy (VPEP-E) on Fifth-Grade Students in South Korea. J Sch Nurs 2024; 40:361-371. [PMID: 35473369 DOI: 10.1177/10598405221094282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of a violence-prevention education program using empathy (VPEP-E) on elementary school students. This quasi-experimental design examined fifth-grade students' (a) empathy level, (b) perception of violence, and (c) permissive and negligent attitudes toward violence, using a pre- and post-test design. A total of 101 students participated: the experimental group (n = 48) received eight sessions of VPEP-E, whereas the control group (n = 53) received violence prevention education through classroom lectures. Significant differences were observed between the groups' empathy level (t = 6.81, p < .001), perception of violence (t = 2.79, p = .006), and permissive and negligent attitudes toward violence (t = -2.21, p = .030; t = -2.02, p = .046). Thus, a school-based VPEP-E may help elementary school students. Long-term studies evaluating behavioral changes from VPEP-E implementation are needed for establishing the effects on violent behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyung-Ah Kang
- College of Nursing, Sahmyook University, Seoul, Korea
| | | | - SoRa Kang
- College of Nursing, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul, Korea
| | - JungMin Lee
- School of Nursing, Hallym University, Chunchon, Korea
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3
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O'bi A, Yang F. Seeing awe: How children perceive awe-inspiring visual experiences. Child Dev 2024; 95:1271-1286. [PMID: 38294048 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Awe is a profound, self-transcendent emotion. To illuminate its origin, four preregistered studies examined how U.S. 4- to 9-year-old children perceive awe-inspiring stimuli (N = 444, 55% female, 58% White, tested in 2020-2023). Awe-inspiring expansive nature (Study 1) and natural disaster scenes (Study 2) evoked perceived vastness, motivation to explore, and awareness of the unknown more than everyday scenes did (d ranging 0.32-1.76). Compared to expansive social stimuli, expansive nature stimuli more positively affected children's sense of self (Study 3). Diverse awe-inspiring scenes (vast nature, natural disasters, and slow-motion objects) all elicited awe and higher learning motivation than everyday scenes did (Study 4). These findings suggest that children appreciate awe-inspiring visual experiences, illuminating the origins and nature of awe as a self-transcendent experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artemisia O'bi
- Department of Psychology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of Psychology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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4
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Khondakar MFK, Sarowar MH, Chowdhury MH, Majumder S, Hossain MA, Dewan MAA, Hossain QD. A systematic review on EEG-based neuromarketing: recent trends and analyzing techniques. Brain Inform 2024; 11:17. [PMID: 38837089 PMCID: PMC11153447 DOI: 10.1186/s40708-024-00229-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuromarketing is an emerging research field that aims to understand consumers' decision-making processes when choosing which product to buy. This information is highly sought after by businesses looking to improve their marketing strategies by understanding what leaves a positive or negative impression on consumers. It has the potential to revolutionize the marketing industry by enabling companies to offer engaging experiences, create more effective advertisements, avoid the wrong marketing strategies, and ultimately save millions of dollars for businesses. Therefore, good documentation is necessary to capture the current research situation in this vital sector. In this article, we present a systematic review of EEG-based Neuromarketing. We aim to shed light on the research trends, technical scopes, and potential opportunities in this field. We reviewed recent publications from valid databases and divided the popular research topics in Neuromarketing into five clusters to present the current research trend in this field. We also discuss the brain regions that are activated when making purchase decisions and their relevance to Neuromarketing applications. The article provides appropriate illustrations of marketing stimuli that can elicit authentic impressions from consumers' minds, the techniques used to process and analyze recorded brain data, and the current strategies employed to interpret the data. Finally, we offer recommendations to upcoming researchers to help them investigate the possibilities in this area more efficiently in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Fazlul Karim Khondakar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Md Hasib Sarowar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Mehdi Hasan Chowdhury
- Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
| | - Sumit Majumder
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Md Azad Hossain
- Department of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - M Ali Akber Dewan
- School of Computing and Information Systems, Faculty of Science and Technology, Athabasca University, Athabasca, AB, T9S 3A3, Canada
| | - Quazi Delwar Hossain
- Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chittagong, Bangladesh
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5
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Juniarta, Eka NGA, Ferawati Sitanggang Y. Empathy in Nursing Students: A Scoping Review. J Holist Nurs 2024; 42:S59-S86. [PMID: 37039440 DOI: 10.1177/08980101231163966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
Purpose: Empathy is essential for nursing students as they progress through their education. To date, few review studies explored empathy in nursing students. This review examined empathy in nursing students, including how to promote empathy, factors contributing to empathy, and the evaluation of empathy. Design: The eligible population included undergraduate nursing students. The concept of interest was empathy related to nursing students. The context was undergraduate nursing programs. Eligible studies included quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method studies. The protocol was registered in Open Science Framework (OSF). Review Methods: Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers' Manual guided this scoping review protocol. MEDLINE with Full text (EBSCO), Scopus, ScienceDirect (Elsevier), and PubMed were used for the electronic database search. The findings were analyzed with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings: A total of 94 articles were included for analysis. Three main themes emerged: (1) approaches to promoting empathy, (2) contributing factors to empathy, and (3) evaluation of empathy. Conclusions: Empathy is cultivated in nursing in numerous ways, highlighting the need to incorporate it into the nursing curriculum. There is also controversy regarding the relationship between empathy and individual characteristics. This finding highlights the need for more effective empathy-promoting educational training that considers these personal characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juniarta
- Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Tangerang, Indonesia
- Biblical Seminary of the Philippines, Valenzuela, Philippines
| | - Ni Gusti Ayu Eka
- Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Tangerang, Indonesia
| | - Yenni Ferawati Sitanggang
- Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Tangerang, Indonesia
- School of Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan
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6
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Wu X, Jia H, Zhao K, Wang E, Li Y. An ERP investigation of electrocortical responses in pain empathy from childhood through adolescence into adulthood. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae020. [PMID: 38483508 PMCID: PMC10939050 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Only a few studies investigated the neurodevelopment of pain empathy. Here, the temporal dynamics of electrocortical processes in pain empathy during individual neurodevelopment from childhood through adolescence into adulthood, along with the moderation effect of top-down attention, were investigated using the event-related potential (ERP) technique. To investigate the role of top-down attention in empathy development, both A-P task and A-N task were conducted. In the A-P and A-N task, participants are instructed to judge whether the models in pictures were painful or non-painful and count the number of limbs in pictures, respectively. We found that compared to the adolescent and adult groups, the children group responded significantly worse, along with stronger neural responses in both tasks. Compared to the adolescent and adult groups, the differential amplitudes between painful and non-painful conditions of P2, N2 and P3 were significantly larger in the children group. Moreover, this P3 differential amplitude could only be modulated by age in the A-P task. These results suggest that the capacity to empathize has not yet attained complete development in these children. Significantly more attention resources were involuntarily attracted by the nociceptive cues in these children, which could also reflect the immaturity of empathy ability in these children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangci Wu
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
- School of Psychology, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Huibin Jia
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
- School of Psychology, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Kaibin Zhao
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Psychological Data Science, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, China
| | - Enguo Wang
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
- School of Psychology, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
| | - Yongxin Li
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
- School of Psychology, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
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7
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Wu X, Jia H, Zhao K, Guo M, Lv X, Ma Y, Wang E. Group membership modulates empathic neural responses to pain in deaf individuals. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae113. [PMID: 38517177 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Empathy deficiencies are prevalent among deaf individuals. It has yet to be determined whether they exhibit an ingroup bias in empathic responses. This study employed explicit and implicit empathy tasks (i.e. attention-to-pain-cue [A-P] task and attention-to-nonpain-cue [A-N] task) to explore the temporal dynamics of neural activities when deaf individuals were processing painful/nonpainful stimuli from both ingroup models (deaf people) and outgroup models (hearing people), which aims to not only assist deaf individuals in gaining a deeper understanding of their intergroup empathy traits but also to aid in the advancement of inclusive education. In the A-P task, we found that (i) ingroup priming accelerated the response speed to painful/nonpainful pictures; (ii) the N2 amplitude of painful pictures was significantly more negative than that of nonpainful pictures in outgroup priming trials, whereas the N2 amplitude difference between painful and nonpainful pictures was not significant in ingroup priming trials. For N1 amplitude of the A-N task, we have similar findings. However, this pattern was reversed for P3/late positive component amplitude of the A-P task. These results suggest that the deaf individuals had difficulty in judging whether hearing individuals were in pain. However, their group identification and affective responses could shape the relatively early stage of pain empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangci Wu
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
- School of Psychology, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
| | - Huibin Jia
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
- School of Psychology, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
| | - Kaibin Zhao
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Psychological Data Science, Zhengzhou Normal University, Yingcai Road, Zhengzhou 450044, Henan Province, China
| | - Mengshan Guo
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
- School of Psychology, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
| | - Xueqi Lv
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
- School of Psychology, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
| | - Yimin Ma
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
- School of Psychology, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
| | - Enguo Wang
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
- School of Psychology, Henan University, Jinming Road, Kaifeng 475004, Henan Province, China
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8
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Bulgarelli C, Jones EJH. The typical and atypical development of empathy: How big is the gap from lab to field? JCPP ADVANCES 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Bulgarelli
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development Birkbeck University of London London UK
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering University College London London UK
| | - Emily J. H. Jones
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development Birkbeck University of London London UK
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9
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Takamatsu R. Empathy and group processes in Japanese preschool children: The odd one out among friends receives less empathic concern than out-groups. J Exp Child Psychol 2022; 221:105460. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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10
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Senzaki S, Cowell JM, Shimizu Y, Calma-Birling D. Emotion or Evaluation: Cultural Differences in the Parental Socialization of Moral Judgement. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:867308. [PMID: 35754765 PMCID: PMC9226376 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.867308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Moral reasoning develops rapidly in early childhood. Recent evidence from cognitive neuroscience literature suggests that the development of moral reasoning is supported by an integration of cognitive and affective components. However, the role of culture in the development of moral reasoning in young children is under-investigated. Previous cross-cultural research suggests that culture shapes how people interpret other's behaviors. In particular, people raised in independent cultures, such as the United States, tend to form impressions of others and attribute others' behaviors to their personal dispositions more quickly than people raised in interdependent cultures, such as Japan. In the present cross-cultural study, we examined parents' discourse with children in Japan and the United States. Parents and their 3- to 4-year-old children were asked to view and discuss cartoon characters depicting prosocial and antisocial acts. Results indicated that in both cultures, parents discussed about moral actions (e.g., helping, harming) of characters. Furthermore, United States parents were more likely to evaluate dispositional characteristics of characters based on their pro-social and anti-social acts, whereas Japanese parents were more likely to refer to emotion of the characters who got hurt. We discuss implications of cross-cultural differences and similarities in parental moral socialization and the development of moral reasoning in young children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sawa Senzaki
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, Green Bay, WI, United States,*Correspondence: Sawa Senzaki,
| | - Jason M. Cowell
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, Green Bay, WI, United States
| | - Yuki Shimizu
- Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Destany Calma-Birling
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
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Miller JG, Bartholomay KL, Lee CH, Bruno JL, Lightbody AA, Reiss AL. Empathy and Anxiety in Young Girls with Fragile X Syndrome. J Autism Dev Disord 2022; 52:2213-2223. [PMID: 34081299 PMCID: PMC8639840 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05105-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
We tested whether empathy is impaired and associated with anxiety in girls with fragile X syndrome (FXS). We measured parent-reported empathy and self-reported anxiety in young girls with FXS and in a developmentally-matched comparison group. Girls with FXS received higher parent-reported scores on cognitive and affective empathy but also self-reported more severe anxiety symptoms, particularly separation anxiety and phobia symptoms, than girls in the comparison group. Girls with FXS who received higher cognitive empathy scores, however, appeared buffered against risk for separation anxiety and phobia symptoms. Girls with FXS experience elevated empathy and anxiety relative to their developmentally-matched peers. Higher cognitive empathy in girls with FXS may indicate resilience against specific forms of anxiety that are commonly observed in FXS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas G Miller
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Kristi L Bartholomay
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Cindy H Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Jennifer L Bruno
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Amy A Lightbody
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Allan L Reiss
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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12
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Ran S, Reifen Tagar M, Tamir M, Halperin E. The Apple Doesn't "Feel" Far From the Tree: Mother-Child Socialization of Intergroup Empathy. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2022; 49:3-19. [PMID: 35459413 DOI: 10.1177/01461672211047373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Like adults, children experience less empathy toward some groups compared with others. In this investigation, we propose that mothers differ in how much empathy they want their children to feel toward specific outgroups, depending on their political ideology. We suggest that how mothers want their children to feel (i.e., the motivation for their child's empathy), in turn, is correlated with children's actual experience of empathy toward the outgroup. Across four studies in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (NTotal = 734), the degree of empathy mothers wanted their children to experience in the intergroup context varied as a function of their political ideology. Mothers' motivation for their child's empathy toward the outgroup (but not in general) was further associated with how they chose to communicate messages to their children in a real-life context and how children actually felt toward the outgroup. We discuss implications for the socialization of intergroup empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shira Ran
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.,Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel
| | | | - Maya Tamir
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
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13
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Heise MJ, Mon SK, Bowman LC. Utility of Linear Mixed Effects Models for Event-Related Potential Research with Infants and Children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 54:101070. [PMID: 35395594 PMCID: PMC8987653 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Event-related potentials (ERPs) are advantageous for investigating cognitive development. However, their application in infants/children is challenging given children’s difficulty in sitting through the multiple trials required in an ERP task. Thus, a large problem in developmental ERP research is high subject exclusion due to too few analyzable trials. Common analytic approaches (that involve averaging trials within subjects and excluding subjects with too few trials, as in ANOVA and linear regression) work around this problem, but do not mitigate it. Moreover, these practices can lead to inaccuracies in measuring neural signals. The greater the subject exclusion, the more problematic inaccuracies can be. We review recent developmental ERP studies to illustrate the prevalence of these issues. Critically, we demonstrate an alternative approach to ERP analysis—linear mixed effects (LME) modeling—which offers unique utility in developmental ERP research. We demonstrate with simulated and real ERP data from preschool children that commonly employed ANOVAs yield biased results that become more biased as subject exclusion increases. In contrast, LME models yield accurate, unbiased results even when subjects have low trial-counts, and are better able to detect real condition differences. We include tutorials and example code to facilitate LME analyses in future ERP research. Linear Mixed Effects models (LMEs) have advantages for event-related potential analyses. For infant/child ERPs especially, LME is superior to traditional ANOVA models. In simulated ERP data, ANOVAs returned biased results, but LME was unbiased. In real, child ERP data, LME detected condition differences where ANOVA did not. Tutorial and sample codes given to guide use of LMEs in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan J Heise
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA; Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, USA.
| | - Serena K Mon
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Lindsay C Bowman
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA; Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, USA
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14
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Rong T, Sun X, Zhang Z, Li W, Deng Y, Wang Z, Meng M, Zhu Q, Jiang Y, Zhao J, Zhang Y, Wang G, Jiang F. The association between sleep and empathy in young preschoolers: A population study. J Sleep Res 2021; 31:e13530. [PMID: 34904310 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Sleep is vital for children's early socio-emotional development, particularly empathy. This study aimed to explore the associations between sleep and empathy in young preschoolers. A sample of 23,259 preschoolers (4.3 ± 0.3 years) at the entry year of preschool was recruited as part of the Shanghai Children's Health, Education and Lifestyle Evaluation-Preschool (SCHEDULE-P) study. Caregivers reported on child sleep, affective empathy, and cognitive empathy through the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire and the Griffith Empathy Measure. Ordinary least-square regression and quantile regression were performed for the associations between sleep and empathy. Sex differences were also investigated. Night sleep duration was negatively associated with affective empathy (β = -0.35, p < 0.001), and positively associated with cognitive empathy (β = 0.41, p < 0.001). Longer nap duration was associated with higher affective empathy (β = 0.28, p < 0.001). Sleep disturbances were positively associated with affective empathy (β = 0.04, p < 0.001) and negatively associated with cognitive empathy (β = -0.09, p < 0.001). These associations were generally stronger in children at higher empathy quantiles and also those at the 10th cognitive empathy quantile. The associations between sleep and affective empathy were mainly contributed by girls, and were more common in boys in terms of cognitive empathy, particularly at the 10th and the 30th quantiles. In conclusion, longer night sleep duration and fewer sleep disturbances are associated with a more mature empathy pattern in young preschoolers. The associations are more prominent in children at the higher end of the empathy spectrum, and vary by sex. These findings highlight the importance to promote sleep health in young children for optimal socio-emotional development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingyu Rong
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoning Sun
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Zichen Zhang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen Li
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yujiao Deng
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zijing Wang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Meng
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qi Zhu
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanrui Jiang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jin Zhao
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Child Health Advocacy Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yunting Zhang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Child Health Advocacy Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guanghai Wang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Fan Jiang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Pediatric Translational Medicine Institute, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Technology, Shanghai, China
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15
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Galarneau E, Colasante T, Speidel R, Malti T. Correlates of children's sympathy: Recognition and regulation of sadness and anger. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/sode.12577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emma Galarneau
- Department of Psychology University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy University of Toronto Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tyler Colasante
- Department of Psychology University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy University of Toronto Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ruth Speidel
- Department of Psychology University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy University of Toronto Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tina Malti
- Department of Psychology University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy University of Toronto Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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16
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Decety J, Holvoet C. The emergence of empathy: A developmental neuroscience perspective. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2021.100999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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17
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Development of emotion processing and regulation: Insights from event-related potentials and implications for internalizing disorders. Int J Psychophysiol 2021; 170:121-132. [PMID: 34656703 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Emotionally-salient stimuli receive selective attention and elicit complex neural responses that evolve considerably across development. Event-related potentials (ERPs) optimally capture the dynamics of emotion processing and regulation, with sensitivity to detect changes in magnitude, latency, and maximal location across development. In this selective qualitative review, we summarize evidence of developmental changes in neural reactivity to emotional stimuli and modulation of neural responses during emotion regulation indexed by ERPs across infancy, childhood, and adolescence. The cumulative ERP literature suggests the transition from childhood to adulthood is characterized by a gradual decrease in neural reactivity to emotional stimuli and increased efficiency in attentional allocation towards emotional stimuli. Some studies show sensitivity to emotional stimuli peaks in adolescence, but the evidence is mixed. While both early (<300 ms) and late (>300 ms) ERPs demonstrate sensitivity to emotional stimuli, emotional modulation is more consistently observed in relatively later ERPs across development. The literature additionally shows improvements in regulation abilities across development, though ERP research on developmental changes in emotion regulation is still relatively limited, highlighting a critical direction for future research. Finally, we briefly discuss changes in emotion-related ERPs relevant to the emergence of depression and anxiety. Findings from this review indicate that ERPs provide abundant information about the development of emotion processing and regulation, with potential clinical utility for detecting early-emerging vulnerabilities for internalizing forms of psychopathology.
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18
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Decety J, Holvoet C. Le développement de l’empathie chez le jeune enfant. ANNEE PSYCHOLOGIQUE 2021. [DOI: 10.3917/anpsy1.213.0239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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19
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Yan Z, Zeng X, Su J, Zhang X. The dark side of empathy: Meta-analysis evidence of the relationship between empathy and depression. Psych J 2021; 10:794-804. [PMID: 34494388 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Regardless of a large amount of literature, whether empathy closely relates to depression is far from conclusive. The present study collected previous evidence and performed a meta-analysis to investigate the correlation between empathy and depression. By searching databases, 21 studies and 48 effect sizes were collected. Results showed that empathy was not correlated to depression (r = .006, p = .87). However, subgroup analyses showed that while the relationship between affective empathy and depression was significantly positively correlated (r = .108, p < .01), cognitive empathy was not (r = -.03, p = .26). Additionally, the relationship between empathy and depression varied during development, with a positive correlation in adolescence (r = .084, p < .01) and negative correlation in older adults (r = -.191, p < .001). Results implied that affective empathy might be one of the risk factors for depression, and higher affective empathy might mean more vulnerability to depression. Further studies would help by examining when and how this relationship builds, as well as the contributing factors of its development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqiang Yan
- Department of Psychology, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.,Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiao Zeng
- School of Educational Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Jinlong Su
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoxi Zhang
- Department of Normal, Jiujiang Vocational University, Jiujiang, China
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20
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Kozloff V, Cowell JM, Huppert E, Gomez‐Sicard N, Lee K, Mahasneh R, Malcolm‐Smith S, Selcuk B, Zhou X, Decety J. An investigation of children's empathic dispositions and behaviours across seven countries. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/icd.2251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Violet Kozloff
- Department of Psychology University of Chicago Chicago Illinois USA
| | - Jason M. Cowell
- Department of Psychology University of Chicago Chicago Illinois USA
- Department of Psychology University of Wisconsin Green Bay Wisconsin USA
| | | | | | - Kang Lee
- Department of Psychology University of Toronto Toronto Canada
| | - Randa Mahasneh
- Department of Educational Psychology Hashemite University Zarqa Jordan
| | | | - Bilge Selcuk
- Department of Psychology Koc University Istanbul Turkey
| | - Xinyue Zhou
- School of Management, Zhejiang University Hangzhou China
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology University of Chicago Chicago Illinois USA
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21
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Czerniawska M, Szydło J. Do Values Relate to Personality Traits and if so, in What Way? - Analysis of Relationships. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2021; 14:511-527. [PMID: 33976575 PMCID: PMC8104970 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s299720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The research presents empirical data concerning the relations between personal traits and value system. The study focuses on empathy, agreeableness, directiveness, Machiavellism as personality traits. Theoretical assumptions and empirical findings are analyzed and interpreted in the context of cognitive framework, including the idea of regulative function self-concept. A content compatibility hypothesis between personality traits and one’s system of value was accepted as preliminary assumption for this research: empathy and agreeableness positively correlate with allocentric values, whereas directiveness and Machiavellism positively correlate with idiocentric values. The study group consisted of 325 students. Methods The Empathic Understanding of Others Questionnaire (Węgliński), Personality Inventory NEO-FFI (Costa and McCrae) Directiveness Scale (Ray) and Mach V Scale (Christie and Geis) were used. Results The value system of empathic and agreeable people reveals an allocentric orientation (tendency to abandon one’s own perspective), while the value system of directive and Machiavellian people reveals an idiocentric orientation (focused on oneself). Discussion The data analysis revealed that subjects tend to organize their self-knowledge in such a way that there is a content consistency between the information included in the appropriate schemas of personality traits and value preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirosława Czerniawska
- Faculty of Engineering Management, Bialystok University of Technology, Bialystok, Poland
| | - Joanna Szydło
- Faculty of Engineering Management, Bialystok University of Technology, Bialystok, Poland
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22
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Pashevich E. Can communication with social robots influence how children develop empathy? Best-evidence synthesis. AI & SOCIETY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00146-021-01214-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
AbstractSocial robots are gradually entering children’s lives in a period when children learn about social relationships and exercise prosocial behaviors with parents, peers, and teachers. Designed for long-term emotional engagement and to take the roles of friends, teachers, and babysitters, such robots have the potential to influence how children develop empathy. This article presents a review of the literature (2010–2020) in the fields of human–robot interaction (HRI), psychology, neuropsychology, and roboethics, discussing the potential impact of communication with social robots on children’s social and emotional development. The critical analysis of evidence behind these discussions shows that, although robots theoretically have high chances of influencing the development of empathy in children, depending on their design, intensity, and context of use, there is no certainty about the kind of effect they might have. Most of the analyzed studies, which showed the ability of robots to improve empathy levels in children, were not longitudinal, while the studies observing and arguing for the negative effect of robots on children’s empathy were either purely theoretical or dependent on the specific design of the robot and the situation. Therefore, there is a need for studies investigating the effects on children’s social and emotional development of long-term regular and consistent communication with robots of various designs and in different situations.
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23
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Hao J, Du X. Preschoolers' Helping Motivations: Altruistic, Egoistic or Diverse? Front Psychol 2021; 12:614868. [PMID: 33927667 PMCID: PMC8076576 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.614868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on Eisenberg et al.'s model of prosocial motivations, the present study examined what motivates preschoolers to display instrumental helping and how various motivations develop during the preschool years. The participants were 477 preschoolers aged 3–5 years assigned to one of five groups. In each experimental group, the experimenter emphasized an altruistic or egoistic helping motivation, namely, empathic concern, moral rules, praise or rewards. In the control group, no helping motivations were emphasized. Their instrumental helping was then measured by sorting cards for a sick child to play a game. The results show that each helping motivation had a positive effect on instrumental helping. Most of the motivational effects were similar across age, but the motivational effect of empathic concern increased obviously at the age of 5 years. Therefore, the present study reveals that both altruistic and egoistic motivations motivate preschoolers to help others. Most of the motivations develop steadily during the preschool years, but empathic concern as an altruistic motivation increases greatly at the end of the preschool years. The present study thus confirms the diversity of preschoolers' helping motivations with Eisenberg et al.'s model of prosocial motivations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Hao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Du
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
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24
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Galang CM, Jenkins M, Fahim G, Obhi SS. Exploring the relationship between social power and the ERP components of empathy for pain. Soc Neurosci 2021; 16:174-188. [PMID: 33534653 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2021.1886165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Social power (the ability to control or influence another's thoughts, feelings, or behaviors) and empathy (the ability to both share and understand the thoughts and feelings of others) are fundamental to social life. Here, we explore the relationship between social power and the ERP components associated with empathy for pain. Participants were induced into states of high and low social power via a double blind version of the episodic recall task (e.g., "recall a time you felt powerful"). Afterward, they completed a pain categorization task, viewing pictures of hands that were in pain or not in pain, from a first-person or third-person visual perspective. Whereas both high and low social power states were associated with enhanced N2 amplitudes when observing another in pain, only the high social power state was associated with an enhancement of the P3. Based on this pattern of data, we tentatively suggest that, whereas social power does not seem to impact the initial emotional response to observing another's pain (as indexed by the N2), low social power might induce changes in the cognitive evaluation of another's pain relative to high social power (as indexed by the P3). We discuss our findings in relation to the broader literature on power and empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Michael Galang
- Social Brain, Body and Action Lab Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Jenkins
- Social Brain, Body and Action Lab Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - George Fahim
- Social Brain, Body and Action Lab Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sukhvinder S Obhi
- Social Brain, Body and Action Lab Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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25
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Rhee SH, Woodward K, Corley RP, du Pont A, Friedman NP, Hewitt JK, Hink LK, Robinson J, Zahn-Waxler C. The association between toddlerhood empathy deficits and antisocial personality disorder symptoms and psychopathy in adulthood. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 33:173-183. [PMID: 32115005 PMCID: PMC7483195 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579419001676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The present study examined empathy deficits in toddlerhood (age 14 to 36 months) as predictors of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) symptoms and psychopathy measured by the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy scale (Levenson, Kiehl, & Fitzpatrick, 1995) in adulthood (age 23 years) in 956 individuals from the Colorado Longitudinal Twin Study. Consistent with the hypothesis that antisocial behavior is associated with "active" rather than "passive" empathy deficits, early disregard for others, not lack of concern for others, predicted later ASPD symptoms. Early disregard for others was also significantly associated with factor 1 of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, which includes items assessing interpersonal and affective deficits, but not with factor 2, which includes items assessing impulsivity and poor behavioral control. The association between early disregard for others and psychopathy factor 2 was near zero after controlling for the shared variance between psychopathy factors 1 and 2. These results suggest that there is a propensity toward adulthood ASPD symptoms and psychopathy factor 1 that can be assessed early in development, which may help identify individuals most at risk for stable antisocial outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo Hyun Rhee
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Kerri Woodward
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Robin P Corley
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Alta du Pont
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Naomi P Friedman
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - John K Hewitt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Laura K Hink
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - JoAnn Robinson
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
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26
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Addabbo M, Bolognini N, Turati C. Neural time course of pain observation in infancy. Dev Sci 2020; 24:e13074. [PMID: 33314507 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Perception of pain in others is of great evolutionary significance for the development of human empathy. However, infants' sensitivity to others' painful experiences has not been investigated so far. Here, we explored the neural time course of infants' processing of others' pain by measuring event-related brain potentials (ERPs) while 6-month-old infants observed a painful tactile stimulation directed towards the eye and a neutral tactile stimulation on the eyebrow. We analyzed both the Negative Central (Nc) and the later Late Positive Potential (LPP) ERP components, indexing respectively attention allocation and cognitive evaluation of perceptual stimuli. Results showed that observing painful touch elicits a mid-latency Nc (300-500 ms) over the right fronto-central site, which is greater in amplitude as compared to neutral touch. A divergent activity was also visible in the centro-parietal early (550-750 ms) and late (800-1000 ms) LPP, showing increased amplitudes in response to neutral compared to painful touch. The cognitive evaluation of painful stimuli, reflected by the LPP, might thus not be fully developed at 6 months of age, as adults typically show a larger LPP in response to painful as compared to neutral stimuli. Overall, infants show early attentional attuning to others' pain. This early sensitivity to others' painful tactile experiences might form a prerequisite for the development of human empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Addabbo
- Department of Psychology & Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMi, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Nadia Bolognini
- Department of Psychology & Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMi, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Laboratory of Neuropsychology, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Turati
- Department of Psychology & Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMi, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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27
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Kang SR, Kim SJ, Lee J. Development of a violence prevention educational program for elementary school children using empathy (VPEP-E). CHILD HEALTH NURSING RESEARCH 2020; 26:422-433. [PMID: 35004486 PMCID: PMC8650863 DOI: 10.4094/chnr.2020.26.4.422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study describes the development of a violence prevention educational program for elementary school children using empathy (VPEP-E) that teachers can use during class. METHODS Hoffman's theory of empathy and Seels and Richey's (1994) ADDIE model were applied to develop this program. RESULTS The developed program consisted of eight sessions: Orientation/definition of violence and empathy, types and boundaries of violence, look into my feelings, say it with a facial expression, preventing non-empathic violence due to social prejudice, preventing physical violence, verbal and online violence prevention: empathic conversation, and I can do well: review of the whole curriculum. The program was evaluated by 15 elementary school teachers, who considered it to be easily accessible to elementary school students. The final VPEP-E, which will be provided in eight times for 40 minutes each for fifth-grade students, will provide a basis for preventing violence by fostering empathy. CONCLUSION We expect the developed educational program to be effective in preventing violence among elementary school students. However, further research involving children from various age groups is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- So Ra Kang
- Visiting Professor, College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, Seoul,Korea
| | - Shin-Jeong Kim
- Professor, School of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Hallym University, Gangwon,Korea
| | - Jungmin Lee
- Lecturer, School of Nursing, Hallym University, Gangwon, Korea
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28
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Children's reactions to inequality: Associations with empathy and parental teaching. JOURNAL OF APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2020.101189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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29
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Tao D, Leng Y, Ge S, Deng H. Trait empathy modulates brain response to empathy for social rejection: Evidence from electrophysiology. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2020; 2020:1027-1030. [PMID: 33018160 DOI: 10.1109/embc44109.2020.9175611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Empathy which can understand and respond to the unique affective experiences of others plays an essential role in social interaction. Although many neuroimaging studies have investigated the neural mechanisms underlying empathy for social pain, how its mechanisms are modulated by trait empathy remains unknown. The present event-related potential (ERP) study used Chatroom Interact Task to examine how trait empathy modulates brain response to empathy for social rejection. The behavior results showed that participants were less pleasant when observing rejection compared to observing acceptance in both high- and low-levels empathy groups. The ERP results revealed more negative-going N2 for social acceptance compared to rejection in both groups, but there was no difference in N2 between high- and low- empathy group. However, the late components, i.e., the P3b, N400 and LPP, revealed significant difference between social acceptance and rejection in high empathic participants rather than low empathic participants. These findings suggested that individuals with high empathic traits could devote more attention and mental resources to process observing ostracism.
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30
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Fraser AM, Hampton RS, Spinrad TL, Varnum M, Blais C, Eisenberg N, Gal-Szabo DE, Berger RH, Xu J, Xiao SX. Children's mu suppression is sensitive to witnessing others' social victimization. Soc Neurosci 2020; 15:348-354. [PMID: 31992137 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2020.1722220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Empathy has been a key focus of social, developmental, and affective neuroscience for some time. However, research using neural measures to study empathy in response to social victimization is sparse, particularly for young children. In the present study, 58 children's (White, non-Hispanic; five to nine years old) mu suppression was measured using electroencephalogram methods (EEG) as they viewed video scenarios depicting social injustices toward White and Black children. We found evidence of increased mu suppression in response to social victimization; however, contrary to well-documented findings of ingroup racial bias in empathic responses among adults, we found no evidence of racial bias in mu suppression in young children. Implications of these findings for neuroscience research on empathy and the development of ingroup bias are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M Fraser
- T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University , Tempe, USA
| | - Ryan S Hampton
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University , Tempe, USA
| | - Tracy L Spinrad
- T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University , Tempe, USA
| | - Michael Varnum
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University , Tempe, USA
| | - Chris Blais
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University , Tempe, USA
| | - Nancy Eisenberg
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University , Tempe, USA
| | - Diana E Gal-Szabo
- T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University , Tempe, USA
| | - Rebecca H Berger
- T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University , Tempe, USA
| | - Jingyi Xu
- T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University , Tempe, USA
| | - Sonya Xinyue Xiao
- T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University , Tempe, USA
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31
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Díaz-Narváez VP, Calzadilla-Núñez A, López-Orellana P, Utsman-Abarca R, Alonso-Palacio LM. Empathic decline and training in nursing students. Rev Esc Enferm USP 2020; 54:e03619. [DOI: 10.1590/s1980-220x2019006803619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Objective The objective of this article is to examine whether the levels of empathy fit the concept of empathic decline. Method This was a non-experimental and cross-sectional study. Two populations of nursing students in two nursing programs were studied: Universidad San Sebastián (Santiago, Chile) and Universidad Mayor (Temuco, Chile). The original data on empathy, assessed by the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, were combined into a single data base. They were then analyzed by means of normality tests and homoscedasticity, Cronbach’s alpha, analysis of variance; the standard deviation of the dependent outcome measure (Sy.x) and the coefficient of determination (R2) were estimated. Results The sample sizes from the two programs were 479 and 277, respectively. It was found that the distributions of the averages over the course of study for empathy (and its components) were constant, and in some cases increased. Conclusion It was found that the distribution of the means of empathy in the nursing students analyzed did not conform to the classical empathic decline observed in other studies. Therefore, it is inferred that the traditional factors identified as causes of empathic erosion were not operating in the same way in the studied context.
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Yoder KJ, Decety J. Conflicting influences of justice motivations on moral judgments. Cogn Emot 2019; 34:670-683. [PMID: 31556353 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2019.1669536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Humans are motivated by justice concerns, yet vary in their reactions to observing or experiencing injustice. At a proximate level, approach and avoidance represent core fundamental motivational systems which have been proposed to be involved in two independent moral systems: a prescriptive system responsive to obligations ("shoulds") and a proscriptive system concerned with prohibitions ("should nots"). It is unclear whether these motivational systems or personal involvement better explain the influence of justice dispositions on moral judgments. To clarify this theoretical argument, two experiments examined how dispositional self-oriented and other-oriented justice sensitivity influence condemnation of prescriptive and proscriptive violations while manipulating perspective between-subject or within-subject. Participants rated the permissibility of everyday moral transgressions, from the perspective of the victim or a neutral observer. In Study 1 (n = 235), self-oriented dispositions increased and other-oriented dispositions decreased the probability of rating prescriptive violations as permissible. Study 2 (n = 468) replicated the effect of other-oriented justice sensitivity. Overall, these results bridge the gap between motivational systems and self-other processing. They suggest that justice sensitivity is better conceptualised as distinct motivations which can exert opposing influences on moral decision-making. Moreover, personal involvement may not be as important as individual justice motivations for explaining everyday moral decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith J Yoder
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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Noten M, Van der Heijden K, Huijbregts S, Van Goozen S, Swaab H. Indicators of affective empathy, cognitive empathy, and social attention during emotional clips in relation to aggression in 3-year-olds. J Exp Child Psychol 2019; 185:35-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Castro-Sánchez M, Zurita-Ortega F, Ruiz GRR, Chacón-Cuberos R. Explanatory model of violent behaviours, self-concept and empathy in schoolchildren. Structural equations analysis. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217899. [PMID: 31419233 PMCID: PMC6697324 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The increased visibility of bullying cases has led the scientific community to be more interested in analysing the factors affecting these behaviours in order to reduce bullying cases and their negative consequences. The aim of this study was to define and contrast an explanatory model that makes it possible to analyse the relationships between self-concept, empathy and violent behaviours in schoolchildren through structural equation analysis. The sample of this study is made up of 734 schoolchildren from the province of Granada (Spain), both male and female, aged between 10 and 12, and it consists of analysing self-concept (AF-5), empathy levels (TECA) and violent behaviour at schools (ECV). A structural equation model was performed and successfully adjusted (χ2 = 563.203; DF = 59; p < 0.001; CFI = 0.943; NFI = 0.937; IFI = 0.943; RMSEA = 0.076). A positive and direct relationship between self-concept and cognitive empathy has been found; manifest aggression is negatively related to self-concept. Similarly, affective empathy has a negative relationship with relational aggression. The main conclusions of this study are that the levels of self-concept and empathy represent protective factors against the development of violent and victimisation behaviours in schoolchildren.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Castro-Sánchez
- Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Félix Zurita-Ortega
- Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | | | - Ramón Chacón-Cuberos
- Department of Research Methods and Diagnosis in Education, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Smith KE, Norman GJ, Decety J. Medical students' empathy positively predicts charitable donation behavior. JOURNAL OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 15:734-742. [PMID: 33042206 DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2019.1651889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Empathy is known to motivate prosocial behavior. This relationship, however is complex and influenced by the social context and the type of prosocial behavior. Additionally, empathy is a complex psychological capacity, making it important to examine how different components of empathy influence different prosocial behaviors. The current study uses a unique longitudinal sample to assess how changes in cognitive and affective components of empathy relate to charitable giving. Measures of empathy were collected from medical students in the fall and spring of students' first three years of medical school. After this time, students had the opportunity to donate to charity. Positive changes in students' cognitive empathy predicted their charitable giving, with students who demonstrated greater increases in cognitive empathy giving more money. This study points to an important role for cognitive empathy in certain prosocial behaviors, and suggests that long term changes in empathy influence individual differences in prosocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, 5848 S University Ave, Chicago IL 60615
| | - Greg J Norman
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, 5848 S University Ave, Chicago IL 60615
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, 5848 S University Ave, Chicago IL 60615
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36
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Arufe-Giráldez V, Zurita-Ortega F, Padial-Ruz R, Castro-Sánchez M. Association between Level of Empathy, Attitude towards Physical Education and Victimization in Adolescents: A Multi-Group Structural Equation Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E2360. [PMID: 31277310 PMCID: PMC6651525 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16132360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Currently, there is a problem related to violence and tolerance towards violence, and the levels of empathy of the subjects can affect this, in addition to the practice of physical activity. The present study sought to define and contrast an explanatory model of victimization, empathy and attitude towards physical education, and to analyze the existing relationships between these variables as a function of engagement with physical activity. A total of 2388 adolescents from Spain participated in this research. The sample was made up of both sexes (43.39% males and 56.61% females), with ages reported between 11 and 17 years (M = 13.85; SD = 1.26). Empathy (TECA), attitude towards physical education (CAEF) and victimization (EV) were measured. A multi-group structural equation model was developed, which showed excellent fit to the empirical data (χ2 = 559.577; DF = 38; p < 0.001; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.957; normalized fit index (NFI) = 0.954; incremental fit index (IFI) = 0.957; root mean squared error of the mean (RMSEA) = 0.054). A direct positive relationship exists between affective and cognitive empathy. A positive association was found between motivational climate and engagement in physical activity. With regards to victimization, the verbal dimension obtained the highest correlation score, followed by the relational and physical dimensions. In the case of adolescents who regularly engaged in physical activity, the verbal and physical dimensions presented the weakest correlations, whilst the relational dimension was the most strongly associated in the case of sedentary adolescents. The main conclusions of the present study it is that the relationship between affective empathy and cognitive empathy is positive and direct, however, this relationship is slightly stronger and differentiated in sedentary adolescents than in those who practice physical activity on a regular basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Víctor Arufe-Giráldez
- Department of Specific Didactics and Methods of Research and Diagnosis in Education, University of Coruña, 15001 Coruña, Spain
| | - Félix Zurita-Ortega
- Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Rosario Padial-Ruz
- Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Castro-Sánchez
- Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
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37
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Goto N, Lim XL, Shee D, Hatano A, Khong KW, Buratto LG, Watabe M, Schaefer A. Can Brain Waves Really Tell If a Product Will Be Purchased? Inferring Consumer Preferences From Single-Item Brain Potentials. Front Integr Neurosci 2019; 13:19. [PMID: 31316357 PMCID: PMC6611214 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2019.00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research has shown that event-related brain potentials (ERPs) recorded while participants view lists of different consumer goods can be modulated by their preferences toward these products. However, it remains largely unknown whether ERP activity specific to a single consumer item can be informative about whether or not this item will be preferred in a shopping context. In this study, we examined whether single-item ERPs could reliably predict consumer preferences toward specific consumer goods. We recorded scalp EEG from 40 participants while they were viewing pictures of consumer goods and we subsequently asked them to indicate their preferences for each of these items. Replicating previous results, we found that ERP activity averaged over the six most preferred products was significantly differentiated from ERP activity averaged across the six least preferred products for three ERP components: The N200, the late positive potential (LPP) and positive slow waves (PSW). We also found that using single-item ERPs to infer behavioral preferences about specific consumer goods led to an overall predictive accuracy of 71%, although this figure varied according to which ERPs were targeted. Later positivities such as the LPP and PSW yielded relatively higher predictive accuracy rates than the frontal N200. Our results suggest that ERPs related to single consumer items can be relatively accurate predictors of behavioral preferences depending on which type of ERP effects are chosen by the researcher, and ultimately on the level of prediction errors that users choose to tolerate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuhiko Goto
- Department of Psychology, Kyoto Notre Dame University, Kyoto, Japan
- School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| | - Xue Li Lim
- School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3), Jülich Research Center, Jülich, Germany
| | - Dexter Shee
- Department of Psychology, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| | - Aya Hatano
- Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Japan
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kok Wei Khong
- School of Marketing, Faculty of Business and Law, Taylor’s University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | | | - Motoki Watabe
- School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
| | - Alexandre Schaefer
- Department of Psychology, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
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Cognitive and Emotional Empathy in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury. Behav Neurol 2019; 2019:1312934. [PMID: 30881519 PMCID: PMC6387693 DOI: 10.1155/2019/1312934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Empathy has been conceptualized as comprising a cognitive and an emotional component, the latter being further divided into direct and indirect aspects, which refer, respectively, to the explicit evaluation of the observer's feelings while attending someone in an emotional situation and to the physiological response of the observer. Empathy has been previously investigated in several neurological disorders. Objective This study is aimed at investigating empathy in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). We hypothesize that, due to deafferentation following their injury, SCI patients will display difficulty in the processing of emotional stimuli and blunted empathic responses as compared to healthy controls. Materials and Methods 20 patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) (12 males and 8 females, mean age = 50.9, standard deviation (SD) = 16.1 years; mean education = 10.9, SD = 4.1 years) were included in the study and compared to 20 matched healthy subjects. Participants were investigated using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y) (STAI-Y), the Beck Depression Scale, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Moreover, participants were further evaluated by means of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), which explores both cognitive and emotional aspects of empathy, and through an experimental protocol based on the use of a modified version of the computerized Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET) to evaluate emotional (direct and indirect) empathy and the ability to judge the valence of complex emotional scenes. Results As compared to healthy controls, SCI patients reported higher scores on the Perspective-Taking subscale of the IRI, while, on the modified MET, they were less accurate in identifying the valence of neutral scenes, notwithstanding their spared direct and indirect emotional empathy ability. Furthermore, we found a significant negative correlation between the time interval since injury and the direct emotional empathy scores on the positive images, as well as a negative correlation with the indirect emotional empathy scores on both positive and neutral images, indicating a blunting of the empathic responses as time elapses. Conclusion Results suggest that SCI patients, when analyzing the meaning of emotional stimuli, tend to rely on a cognitive empathy strategy rather than on emotion simulation.
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Jie J, Luo P, Zhuang M, Li B, Pang Y, Li J, Zheng X. Self-Interest Induces Counter- Empathy at the Late Stage of Empathic Responses to Others' Economic Payoffs. Front Psychol 2019; 10:372. [PMID: 30858815 PMCID: PMC6398428 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have found that individuals exhibit empathic responses when others are treated unfairly. However, there remains a lack of clarity over the extent to which self-interest regulates these empathic responses, and in identifying which component of empathy is more likely to be affected. To investigate these issues, an experiment was designed based on a money distribution task with two conditions [observation condition (OC) vs. participation condition (PC)], and carried out using scalp-recorded event-related potentials (ERPs). Behavioral data showed that the participants' empathic responses were consistent with their coplayers' emotional expressions in the OC, whereas they were inconsistent with the coplayers' expressions in the PC. The electrophysiological data showed that the neural encoding of facial expressions (reflected in the N170) was not affected by self-interest. However, the late stage of empathic responses (LPP) showed a decline when participants' self-interest was involved. Disadvantageous inequality and relatively fair distribution to others elicited a more pronounced feedback-related negativity (FRN) than advantageous inequality distribution in both the OC and PC. As the late stage of empathic responses is also indexed by the LPP amplitude, these results indicate that the participants were more concerned for their own outcomes than for others' benefits when self-interest was involved, which reduced their empathy toward their coplayers at the late stage of empathic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Jie
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
- Center for Mental Health Education, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Pinchao Luo
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mengdi Zhuang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Beibei Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu Pang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junjiao Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xifu Zheng
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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40
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Li T, Decety J, Hu X, Li J, Lin J, Yi L. Third‐Party Sociomoral Evaluations in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Child Dev 2019; 90:e584-e597. [DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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41
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Chen C, Martínez RM, Cheng Y. The Developmental Origins of the Social Brain: Empathy, Morality, and Justice. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2584. [PMID: 30618998 PMCID: PMC6302010 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The social brain is the cornerstone that effectively negotiates and navigates complex social environments and relationships. When mature, these social abilities facilitate the interaction and cooperation with others. Empathy, morality, and justice, among others, are all closely intertwined, yet the relationships between them are quite complex. They are fundamental components of our human nature, and shape the landscape of our social lives. The various facets of empathy, including affective arousal/emotional sharing, empathic concern, and perspective taking, have unique contributions as subcomponents of morality. This review helps understand how basic forms of empathy, morality, and justice are substantialized in early ontogeny. It provides valuable information as to gain new insights into the underlying neurobiological precursors of the social brain, enabling future translation toward therapeutic and medical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyi Chen
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, Yilan, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Research Center of Brain and Consciousness, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.,Institute of Humanities in Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Róger Marcelo Martínez
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, Yilan, Taiwan.,Institute of Neuroscience and Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yawei Cheng
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, Yilan, Taiwan.,Institute of Neuroscience and Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Education and Research, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
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42
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Heyes C. Empathy is not in our genes. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 95:499-507. [PMID: 30399356 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In academic and public life empathy is seen as a fundamental force of morality - a psychological phenomenon, rooted in biology, with profound effects in law, policy, and international relations. But the roots of empathy are not as firm as we like to think. The matching mechanism that distinguishes empathy from compassion, envy, schadenfreude, and sadism is a product of learning. Here I present a dual system model that distinguishes Empathy1, an automatic process that catches the feelings of others, from Empathy2, controlled processes that interpret those feelings. Research with animals, infants, adults and robots suggests that the mechanism of Empathy1, emotional contagion, is constructed in the course of development through social interaction. Learned Matching implies that empathy is both agile and fragile. It can be enhanced and redirected by novel experience, and broken by social change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Heyes
- All Souls College & Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 4AL, United Kingdom.
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43
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Coll MP. Meta-analysis of ERP investigations of pain empathy underlines methodological issues in ERP research. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 13:1003-1017. [PMID: 30137502 PMCID: PMC6204484 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsy072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy has received considerable attention from the field of cognitive and social neuroscience. A significant portion of these studies used the event-related potential (ERP) technique to study the mechanisms of empathy for pain in others in different conditions and clinical populations. These show that specific ERP components measured during the observation of pain in others are modulated by several factors and altered in clinical populations. However, issues present in this literature such as analytical flexibility and lack of type 1 error control raise doubts regarding the validity and reliability of these conclusions. The current study compiled the results and methodological characteristics of 40 studies using ERP to study empathy of pain in others. The results of the meta-analysis suggest that the centro-parietal P3 and late positive potential component are sensitive to the observation of pain in others, while the early N1 and N2 components are not reliably associated with vicarious pain observation. The review of the methodological characteristics shows that the presence of selective reporting, analytical flexibility and lack of type 1 error control compromise the interpretation of these results. The implication of these results for the study of empathy and potential solutions to improve future investigations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel-Pierre Coll
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Anna Watts Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, UK
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44
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Luo P, Pang Y, Li B, Jie J, Zhuang M, Yang S, Zheng X. Competitive Intensity Modulates the Pain Empathy Response: An Event-Related Potentials Study. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1854. [PMID: 30327633 PMCID: PMC6174247 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have widely reported that competition modulates an individual's ability to empathize with pain experienced by others. What remains to be clarified, however, is how modulations in the intensity of competition might affect this type of empathy. To investigate this, we first used a Eriksen Flanker task to set different competitive intensity context (high competitive intensity, HCI; medium competitive intensity, MCI; low competitive intensity, LCI). Then we used a recognition task as a competitive task, in which we recorded event-related potentials (ERP) while participants viewed static images of body parts in painful and non-painful situations. Participants were informed that both sets of images depicted an opponent that they were required to play against in the recognition task that varied in levels of competitive intensity according to condition (HCI, MCI, and LCI). We observed an early N2 differentiation between pain and no-pain stimuli over the frontal area under MCI and LCI conditions, but this was not detected under HCI condition. Moreover, we observed a pattern of pain and no-pain differentiation for the late LPP over the frontal and centro-parietal regions under HCI, MCI, and LCI condition. As the pain empathy response is indexed by pain and no-pain differentiation, these results indicate a down-regulation of pain empathy response attributable to a high level of competition. With its very early onset, this effect appears to inhibit bottom-up processing of the ability to perceive pain experienced by an opponent. Our results provide neuroscientific evidence for a deficit in early automatic arousal in response to the pain of the opponent under the influence of high competitive intensity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinchao Luo
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu Pang
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,School of Education and Psychological Science, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong, China
| | - Beibei Li
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Jie
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mengdi Zhuang
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuting Yang
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xifu Zheng
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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45
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Huppert E, Cowell JM, Cheng Y, Contreras‐Ibáñez C, Gomez‐Sicard N, Gonzalez‐Gadea ML, Huepe D, Ibanez A, Lee K, Mahasneh R, Malcolm‐Smith S, Salas N, Selcuk B, Tungodden B, Wong A, Zhou X, Decety J. The development of children's preferences for equality and equity across 13 individualistic and collectivist cultures. Dev Sci 2018; 22:e12729. [DOI: 10.1111/desc.12729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jason M. Cowell
- Department of PsychologyThe University of Chicago Chicago Illinois
- Department of PsychologyThe University of Wisconsin Green Bay Green Bay Wisconsin
| | - Yawei Cheng
- Institute of NeuroscienceNational Yang‐Ming University Taipei Taiwan
| | | | | | - Maria Luz Gonzalez‐Gadea
- INECO FoundationFavaloro UniversityNational Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires Argentina
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders Canberra Australia
| | - David Huepe
- Center for Social and Cognitive NeuroscienceSchool of PsychologyUniversidad Adolfo Ibáñez Santiago Chile
| | - Agustin Ibanez
- INECO FoundationFavaloro UniversityNational Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires Argentina
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders Canberra Australia
- Center for Social and Cognitive NeuroscienceSchool of PsychologyUniversidad Adolfo Ibáñez Santiago Chile
| | - Kang Lee
- Erick Jackman Institute of Child StudyUniversity of Toronto Toronto Canada
| | | | | | - Natalia Salas
- Faculty of Education at the Universidad Autónoma de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Bilge Selcuk
- Department of PsychologyKoc University Istanbul Turkey
| | - Bertil Tungodden
- Department of EconomicsNorwegian School of Economics Bergen Norway
| | - Alina Wong
- Dirección de Extensión UniversitariaUniversidad de La Habana Havana Cuba
| | - Xinyue Zhou
- Dirección de Extensión UniversitariaUniversidad de La Habana Havana Cuba
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of PsychologyThe University of Chicago Chicago Illinois
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Arnett K, Roach A, Elzy M, Jelsone-Swain L. Childhood emotional invalidation and right hemispheric mu suppression during a pain empathy task: An EEG study. Soc Neurosci 2018; 14:236-250. [PMID: 29451071 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2018.1441905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Empathy is a critical aspect of social behavior, and impairment in empathic processing is linked to hindered social interactions and several disorders. Despite much interest in this topic, our understanding of the developmental and neural involvement for empathic processing is limited. Recent evidence suggests the Mirror Neuron System (MNS) may play a role in this behavior, and that mu rhythm suppression found over the sensorimotor cortices may be a proxy for the MNS. Therefore, we aimed to measure mu rhythm oscillations in response to empathic processing during observation of painful action-based situations using electroencephalogram (EEG). Our second goal was to examine how perceived parental emotional invalidation (EI) during childhood may relate to empathy and influence mu suppression. Our results showed that mu rhythm suppression was strongest over the right hemisphere. EI had a significant influence on this suppression between painful and non-painful images, and was negatively correlated with behavioral measures of empathy. Our findings suggest that perceived childhood EI may decrease empathizing abilities and influence neural responses to the painful experiences of others. Implications from this study could entail clinical intervention targeted at emotional invalidation to foster the healthy development of empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Arnett
- a Department of Psychology , University of South Carolina Aiken , Aiken , SC , USA
| | - Alexandra Roach
- a Department of Psychology , University of South Carolina Aiken , Aiken , SC , USA
| | - Meredith Elzy
- a Department of Psychology , University of South Carolina Aiken , Aiken , SC , USA
| | - Laura Jelsone-Swain
- a Department of Psychology , University of South Carolina Aiken , Aiken , SC , USA
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Smith KE, Norman GJ, Decety J. The complexity of empathy during medical school training: evidence for positive changes. MEDICAL EDUCATION 2017; 51:1146-1159. [PMID: 28884471 PMCID: PMC5657391 DOI: 10.1111/medu.13398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Revised: 05/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Empathy is an essential aspect of clinical care, associated with improved patient satisfaction, increased adherence to treatment, and fewer malpractice complaints. Previous studies suggest that empathy declines during medical training. However, past research relied on a single narrowly operationalised, self-report measure of empathy. As empathy is a complex socio-emotional construct, it is critical to assess changes across its distinct components using multiple measures in order to better understand how it is influenced by medical training. METHODS In a longitudinal study, medical students completed a series of self-report and behavioural measures twice per year during the first 3 years of their study (2012-2015). These included the previously used Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE), designed to assess empathy in the clinical context, the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE), designed to assess overall empathy and its main components, and behavioural measures of sensitivity to others' pain and understanding of others' emotions, both of which are important aspects of empathy. The employment of multiple measures allowed for a more complete assessment of medical students' empathy and related processes. RESULTS In reflection of findings in previous work, students' empathy assessed by the JSPE decreased over training. However, on the QCAE, aspects of students' empathy, specifically overall cognitive empathy and its subcomponent perspective taking, and the emotion contagion subcomponent of affective empathy improved, whereas the remaining subcomponents remained stable. During medical school, students also exhibited comparable growth in their understanding of others' emotions and increased sensitivity to others' pain. CONCLUSIONS Changes in empathy during medical school cannot be simply characterised as representing an overall decline. Indeed, aspects of empathy thought to be valuable in positive physician-patient interactions improve during training. Overall, this study points to the importance of assessing the distinct components of empathy using multiple forms of measurement in order to better understand the mechanisms involved in empathy changes in medical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Greg J Norman
- Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Herrera-López M, Gómez-Ortiz O, Ortega-Ruiz R, Jolliffe D, Romera EM. Suitability of a three-dimensional model to measure empathy and its relationship with social and normative adjustment in Spanish adolescents: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2017; 7:e015347. [PMID: 28951400 PMCID: PMC5623524 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Revised: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 08/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES (1) To examine the psychometric properties of the Basic Empathy Scale (BES) with Spanish adolescents, comparing a two and a three-dimensional structure;(2) To analyse the relationship between the three-dimensional empathy and social and normative adjustment in school. DESIGN Transversal and ex post facto retrospective study. Confirmatory factorial analysis, multifactorial invariance analysis and structural equations models were used. PARTICIPANTS 747 students (51.3% girls) from Cordoba, Spain, aged 12-17 years (M=13.8; SD=1.21). RESULTS The original two-dimensional structure was confirmed (cognitive empathy, affective empathy), but a three-dimensional structure showed better psychometric properties, highlighting the good fit found in confirmatory factorial analysis and adequate internal consistent valued, measured with Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega. Composite reliability and average variance extracted showed better indices for a three-factor model. The research also showed evidence of measurement invariance across gender. All the factors of the final three-dimensional BES model were direct and significantly associated with social and normative adjustment, being most strongly related to cognitive empathy. CONCLUSIONS This research supports the advances in neuroscience, developmental psychology and psychopathology through a three-dimensional version of the BES, which represents an improvement in the original two-factorial model. The organisation of empathy in three factors benefits the understanding of social and normative adjustment in adolescents, in which emotional disengagement favours adjusted peer relationships. Psychoeducational interventions aimed at improving the quality of social life in schools should target these components of empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Olga Gómez-Ortiz
- Department of Psychology, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Andalucía, Spain
| | | | - Darrick Jolliffe
- Department of Criminology, University of Greenwich, Old Royal Navy College, London, UK
| | - Eva M. Romera
- Department of Psychology, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Andalucía, Spain
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Massey SH, Decety J, Wisner KL, Wakschlag LS. Specification of Change Mechanisms in Pregnant Smokers for Malleable Target Identification: A Novel Approach to a Tenacious Public Health Problem. Front Public Health 2017; 5:239. [PMID: 28975128 PMCID: PMC5610685 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2017.00239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) continues to be a leading modifiable risk factor for perinatal complications and a range of neurodevelopmental and cardio-metabolic outcomes across the lifespan. Despite 40 years of intervention research less than one in five pregnant smokers who receive an intervention quit by delivery. Within this context, recognition of pregnancy is commonly associated with abrupt suspension or reduction of smoking in the absence of intervention, yet has not been investigated as a volitional target. The goal of this article is to provide the empirical foundation for a novel direction of research aimed at identifying malleable targets for intervention through the specification of behavior change mechanisms specific to pregnant women. To do so, we: (1) summarize progress on MSDP in the United States generated from conventional empirical approaches to health behavior change; (2) discuss the phenomenon of spontaneous change in the absence of intervention among pregnant smokers to illustrate the need for mechanistic specification of behavior change motivated by concern for fetal well-being; (3) summarize component processes in neurobiological models of parental and non-parental social behaviors as a conceptual framework for understanding change mechanisms during pregnancy; (4) discuss the evidence for the malleability of these processes to support their translational relevance for preventive interventions; and (5) propose a roadmap for validating the proposed change mechanism using an experimental medicine approach. A greater understanding of social and interpersonal processes that facilitate health behavior change among expectant mothers and how these processes differ interindividually could yield novel volitional targets for prenatal interventions. More broadly, explicating other-oriented mechanisms of behavior change during pregnancy could serve as a paradigm for understanding how social and interpersonal processes positively influence health behaviors across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suena H. Massey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Katherine L. Wisner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Lauren S. Wakschlag
- Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
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Interpersonal harm aversion as a necessary foundation for morality: A developmental neuroscience perspective. Dev Psychopathol 2017; 30:153-164. [PMID: 28420449 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579417000530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Growing evidence from developmental psychology and social neuroscience emphasizes the importance of third-party harm aversion for constructing morality. A sensitivity to interpersonal harm emerges very early in ontogeny, as reflected in both the capacity for implicit social evaluation and an aversion for antisocial agents. Yet it does not necessarily entail avoidance toward inflicting pain to others. Later, an understanding that harmful actions cause suffering emerges, followed by an integration of rules that can depend on social contexts and cultures. These developmental findings build on a burgeoning literature, which suggests that the fundamental nature of moral and social cognition, including their motivational and hedonic value, lies in general computational processes such as attention, approach-avoidance, social valuation, and decision making rather than in fully distinct, dedicated neural regions for morality. Bridging the gap between cognition and behaviors and the requisite affective, motivational, and cognitive mechanisms, a developmental neuroscience approach enriches our understanding of the emergence of morality.
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