Year: 1995
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This investigation examined three related areas:Children's (9-year-olds') empathy, their affect match responses in an experiment assessing the effects of discordant and concordant cue conditions, and their prosocial helping responses, assessed in an experimental context.Children were assigned to either a High or Low Empathy group based upon their scores on an affective-cognitive measure of empathy in responses to video-taped stimulus vignettes (the Empathy Continuum, EC).Consistent with the expected greater affective responsiveness of empathic persons, results supported the hypothesis that children in the high versus low empathy group would obtain higher affect match scores across conditions (concordant and discordant cues) of a separately conducted affect match experiment.Also, as expected (across empathy groups), concordant versus discordant cue conditions resulted in greater affect match responses.Furthermore, consistent with theory linking empathy with prosocial behavior, results supported the hypothesis that children in the high versus low group would provide more help.In addition, a number of more specific hypotheses were investigated regarding expected differences for children in the high and low (EC) groups in their affect match responses to the cues manipulated in the experiment, as well as the relationship of affect match scores to helping.Results supported most of these hypotheses, as well as providing an unexpected finding of gender differences in children's helping (girls helped more than did boys).Present findings are discussed in the light of theories which generated the hypotheses and the specific methods employed.
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Anthony Chang
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2311509250