Leiden University Student Repository

Bos, Pauline F.J. (2014)

The relationship between language and empathy in 8-to-12-year-old boys: The influence of Disruptive Behavior Disorders

Master thesis | Education and Child Studies (MSc)

Background: This study evaluated language and empathy in 8-to-12 year old boys with Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD) (n = 31) and age-matched normal controls (n = 34). Method: Language was measured by the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-4 Dutch Version, CELF-4-NL, 2010, a language test for the evaluation of language skills in school aged children. Empathy was assessed by the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), a self-report questionnaire for children. Results: Results revealed that language is not related to empathy and that DBD has no influence on the presence of affective and cognitive empathy. Only when it comes to generalized empathy it shows that normal controls possess higher levels of empathy than DBD boys. In addition, DBD does not have a moderating effect on the relationship between language and empathy. Conclusions: These findings are not in line with predictions based on the known literature which might be due to the fact that it is unsure if empathy and language...Show moreBackground: This study evaluated language and empathy in 8-to-12 year old boys with Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD) (n = 31) and age-matched normal controls (n = 34). Method: Language was measured by the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-4 Dutch Version, CELF-4-NL, 2010, a language test for the evaluation of language skills in school aged children. Empathy was assessed by the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), a self-report questionnaire for children. Results: Results revealed that language is not related to empathy and that DBD has no influence on the presence of affective and cognitive empathy. Only when it comes to generalized empathy it shows that normal controls possess higher levels of empathy than DBD boys. In addition, DBD does not have a moderating effect on the relationship between language and empathy. Conclusions: These findings are not in line with predictions based on the known literature which might be due to the fact that it is unsure if empathy and language were correctly measured. Conclusions based on these results should be done carefully. Further research is required. Keywords: Language, empathy, theory of mind, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, aggression, school aged children. Abbreviation: DBD: Disruptive Behavior Disorder; CD: Conduct Disorder; ODD: Oppositional Defiant Disorder.Show less

Language

Empathy

Theory of Mind

Conduct Disorder

Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Aggression

School-aged children

Author

Bos, Pauline F.J.

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Clinical Child and Adolescent Studies

Supervisors

Ketelaars, M.P.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

nl