The contribution of cognitive and affective experiences on empathy in children was assessed. It was expected that children receiving experience with both components would show more empathy than those receiving experience with only one or neither of these components. Six- to eight-year-olds participated in two phases, Training and Assessment. In…

This paper presents a theoretical model of empathy in which empathy is defined as a largely involuntary vicarious response to affective cues from another person or from his situation. The model has three components: affective, cognitive, and motivational. In the presentation of the affective component, five distinct models of empathic affect…

This paper describes a study designed to provide information regarding children's perceptions of their own physiological responses associated with feelings of apprehension. A second goal was to compare children's self reports with their reports on parent emotional responses and also with parents' reports on their own stress-related physiological…

Examines the capability and motivation of 18- and 24-month-old infants to share, help, comfort, and cooperate with their older siblings; the frequency of such prosocial behavior by both siblings; and the children's response to sibling distress. The relationship between prosocial and conflict behavior was also studied. (HOD)

In previous research, children's empathy has been positively related to guilt and unrelated to shame. In the present study, it was predicted that guilt and empathy would have a curvilinear relationship, while shame and empathy were expected to be inversely related. Participating were 115 children: somewhat less than half were ages 8-9 years, while…

This paper presents two articles for parents of children with disabilities. In the first article, "You Are Not Alone," by Patricia McGill Smith, a parent discusses the range of emotions that parents of children with disabilities experience and offers 18 suggestions for coping with the effects of disability on the family. These include:…

Used the Children's Emotion Projection Instrument to investigate the emotional predispositions of children from divorce or disruption and children from intact families. Results indicated that children of divorce or disruption are not more hampered emotionally than children from intact families. Discusses implications for family therapists.…

Undergraduate females were or were not provoked by a confederate, and then required to discipline a girl who was pretty or was unattractive; or to discipline a boy who stuttered or one who spoke normally. The undesirable physical characteristics provoked stronger punishment, especially when subjects were angry. (Author/GDC)

Fourth-, eighth- and eleventh-grade children were exposed in groups of four to short-term conditions of high or moderate spatial density involving close physical proximity. Physiological responses were measured during this exposure, and afterwards subjects engaged in a cooperation-competition activity and provided self-reports related to their…

Focuses on the emotional/cognitive processes associated with teacher ratings of empathic and socially competent behaviors. Results indicate that children (N=120) with higher empathy ratings and at higher grade levels received higher scores on a storytelling measure--the Thematic Apperception Test. Clarifies the social information processing of…

Explores whether Dutch deaf children, ages 9 to 11 years old, are more concerned with the loss of the desired state, while their hearing peers focus on conditions that lead to the negative outcome. Reveals that deaf children concentrate on the fulfillment of desires in their emotion predications and explanations. (CMK)

The ability of 10 high-functioning individuals (ages 10-14) with autism to understand the complex emotion of embarrassment was investigated. Results indicate participants showed significant difficulty with non-embarrassing scenarios and in providing appropriate justifications for embarrassment. A significant relationship between scores from false…

Examines the influence of prior information on children's emotional responses to a frightening program. Finds that forewarning of the threat increased anticipatory fear but did not affect emotional responses, and that prior knowledge of the happy outcome reduced anticipatory fear but had an inconsistent effect on fear during the threatening scene.…

Although Grusec and Goodnow make interesting suggestions concerning discipline variables that may affect internalization, their ideas are not integrated into a theory, and their definition of internalization is limited because parent-child similarity may result from children's attributing their values to parents. A theory linking discipline and…

This study of 266 college students, using strict and liberal definitions of sexual abuse, suggests that adults who experienced childhood sexual abuse that involved touching are more suicidal and have less cognitive deterrents to suicide than adults who did not, regardless of gender or whether they were abused by adults or peers. (Author/JDD)