The current study focused on the influence of social cognition on cognitive and affective empathy and whether the LPE-label and socioeconomic status fulfilled moderating roles in the relationships...Show moreThe current study focused on the influence of social cognition on cognitive and affective empathy and whether the LPE-label and socioeconomic status fulfilled moderating roles in the relationships between these socioemotional aspects for adolescent boys with conduct disorder (CD). The aim of the study was to focus on these relations within the CD-group itself, since most research compared CD-youth with healthy controls, thereby omitting the heterogeneity of CD. Moreover, the relationship between social cognition and empathy, both socioemotional aspects, within the CD-group itself had not been examined yet. The different socioemotional aspects were measured using questionnaires, such as the Basic Empathy Scale and the Social Responsiveness Scale. These were completed by 49 adolescent boys, aged from fifteen to nineteen years, with a severe form of CD. Two double moderation regression analyses were performed to explore the relationship between social cognition and the dependent factors cognitive and affective empathy. For cognitive empathy there were no significant relationships found. For affective empathy significant relationships were present. First of all, there was a negative effect of social cognition on affective empathy, higher levels of social cognition were linked to lower levels affective empathy. This could be explained by the fact that CD-youth with higher social cognition capacities know how to take advantage of others, therefore being more manipulative without having to empathize with them. Secondly, as expected, there was a positive effect of LPE: the CD/LPE+ group scored significantly lower on affective empathy than the CD/LPE- group. Additionally, there were no significant moderations of LPE-label and socioeconomic status found for both cognitive and affective empathy. To conclude, having better social cognition skills as well as CD/LPE+ were related to lower levels of affective empathy, not cognitive empathy, in adolescent boys with severe CD.Show less
Background: Externalizing behaviour occurs in a significant proportion of Dutch children and can have negative consequences in the short and long term. It is therefore important to investigate the...Show moreBackground: Externalizing behaviour occurs in a significant proportion of Dutch children and can have negative consequences in the short and long term. It is therefore important to investigate the underlying factors of externalizing problem behaviour. Externalizing problem behaviour appears to be related to empathy and moral development according to previous research conducted among adults, the current study investigated whether a similar association occurs in children at high risk of developing criminal behaviour. When there is a link between externalizing behaviour, moral development, and empathy, preventive interventions can respond to this and potentially reduce the risk of criminal behaviour later on. Method: Participants were 8- to 13-year-old children with a high risk of developing criminal behaviour (N = 128, 75.8% boys). The at-risk children were recruited through an ongoing early identification and intervention project of the Municipality of Amsterdam, called the Preventive Intervention Team (PIT). To assess the degree of externalizing behaviour in children the Teacher Report Form (TRF) was administered to the teachers. Two self-report questionnaires, the Turiel-test and Empathy Index for Children and Adolescents (IECA), were used to assess moral development and empathy in children. Results: The results indicate that there is no association between a higher moral development and more externalizing behaviour in children at risk for developing criminal behaviour. Also, when it comes to empathy, no mediation effect was detected. Conclusion: In the present study, no significant association was established between externalizing behaviour, moral development or empathy in children at increased risk of developing criminal behaviour. The implications for early identification and intervention studies are discussed. Keywords: Externalizing behaviour; empathy; moral development.Show less
Research has shown that empathy and aggression are important components of Conduct Disorder (CD). The correlations between psychopathic traits and empathy and aggression have also been extensively...Show moreResearch has shown that empathy and aggression are important components of Conduct Disorder (CD). The correlations between psychopathic traits and empathy and aggression have also been extensively investigated, but existing literature shows that more insight is needed into the distinction between cognitive and affective empathy and proactive and reactive aggression and the specific role of psychopathic traits. In the present study of 78 Dutch boys aged 15 to 19 years, the specific influence of CD with psychopathic traits on cognitive and affective empathy and proactive and reactive aggression was investigated. The sample was subdivided into boys with CD and psychopathic traits (CD/Psy+) (n= 27) and boys with CD without psychopathic traits (CD/Psy-) (n = 25). These boys all came from forensic institutions. In addition, a control group was also included (CON) (n = 26) and all of the participants completed self-reports. Results showed that CD/Psy+ youngsters scored significantly lower on affective empathy compared to CON youngsters and significantly higher on proactive and reactive aggression compared to CD/Psy- and CON youngsters. However, no significant differences were found between the groups in terms of cognitive empathy. These findings are important for understanding the development of conduct disorder and psychopathic traits and suggest that affective empathy and proactive and reactive aggression should be considered especially in the diagnosis and treatment of boys with delinquent behavior.Show less
The ability to feel and show empathy has been shown to underlie successful social interactions. This study will look at two possible maternal factors that influence the empathy of young children....Show moreThe ability to feel and show empathy has been shown to underlie successful social interactions. This study will look at two possible maternal factors that influence the empathy of young children. Specifically, the current study investigated whether reflective functioning of the mother predicted the empathy levels of the child at age 20-30 months, while taking a potential moderating effect of emotion regulation of the mother into account. Empathic behavior was observed during a distress simulation task and assessed through maternal report, using the Empathy Questionnaire. Reflective functioning was assessed through an interview with the mother, using Parent Development Interview. The emotion regulation was assessed through self-report, using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Linear regression analyses revealed no significant effects between reflective functioning and empathy or emotion regulation and empathy.Show less
In this study, a three-generation study was used to examine the intergenerational transmission (IT) of child abuse and neglect. In addition, the possible mediating role of empathy in these...Show moreIn this study, a three-generation study was used to examine the intergenerational transmission (IT) of child abuse and neglect. In addition, the possible mediating role of empathy in these processes was investigated. In total, 395 participants (from 63 families) reported about both experienced and perpetrated child abuse and neglect. Multiple regression analyses were used to analyze information from fathers, mothers, and children. The results showed a significant intergenerational transmission of both child abuse and neglect. Furthermore, empathy did not appear to be a significant mediator in these processes. The findings of this study highlight the importance of using an ecological approach in both science and practice.Show less
Onderzocht werd of empathie een verband heeft op het gaze cueing effect met een angstige expressie. Hoog empathisch vermogen wordt geassocieerd met een nauwkeurige identificatie van emotionele...Show moreOnderzocht werd of empathie een verband heeft op het gaze cueing effect met een angstige expressie. Hoog empathisch vermogen wordt geassocieerd met een nauwkeurige identificatie van emotionele gezichtsuitdrukkingen. Zo is er een verband aangetoond tussen iemands inlevingsvermogen en het oogbewegingspatroon van een persoon. Mensen met een hoog empathisch vermogen zouden meer tijd besteden aan het kijken naar de oogregio in een emotioneel beladen gezicht dan in een neutraal gezicht. Vanwege hun inlevingsvermogen wordt verwacht dat mensen met een hoge empathie langer hun aandacht laten hangen en dus meer moeite zouden hebben om hun aandacht los te maken van een angstig gezicht dan van een neutraal gezicht. Op basis daarvan werd een kleiner cueing effect verwacht bij hoog empathische mensen na een angstige cue en geen verschil in cue effect bij de neutrale cue in vergelijking met laag empathische mensen. Vijfendertig deelnemers hebben deelgenomen aan het experiment bestaande uit een gaze cueing taak en het invullen van de Cambridge Behaviour Scale of de Empathy Quotient vragenlijst. De resultaten lieten een significant hoofdeffect zien voor cue validiteit, wat aantoont dat er sprake was van aandachtsverschuiving. Er was geen significant effect van emotionele expressie. Daarnaast werd er ook geen correlatie gevonden tussen empathie en het cueing effect met de angstige cue, mogelijk omdat de deelnemers gevraagd werden het gezicht te negeren. Om dit verder te onderzoeken zou toekomstig onderzoek zich kunnen richten om emotionele expressies taak relevant te maken.Show less
Er bestaat theoretisch onderzoek naar het definiëren en het belang van verwondering, maar er is nog geen empirisch onderzoek naar verwondering. De theoretische literatuur stelt dat verwondering van...Show moreEr bestaat theoretisch onderzoek naar het definiëren en het belang van verwondering, maar er is nog geen empirisch onderzoek naar verwondering. De theoretische literatuur stelt dat verwondering van belang is voor moreel gedrag. Het huidige onderzoek had als doel om deze relatie tussen verwondering en moreel gedrag in kaart te brengen en daarbij sekseverschillen in acht te nemen. In totaal namen er 733 kinderen van 10-12 jaar oud (M = 11.19, SD = .65) uit de bovenbouw van het primair onderwijs deel, waarvan 406 meisjes en 327 jongens. De kinderen vulden zelf-rapportage vragenlijsten in om verwondering en empathie in kaart te brengen. De vragenlijsten hebben betrekking op vijf verwonderingthema’s waar kinderen zich over kunnen verwonderen: kunst, technologie, kwaadaardig gedrag, natuur en speciale prestaties. Daarnaast vulden de ouders van de kinderen vragenlijsten in over hun kind die altruïsme (N = 536) en integriteit (N = 533) meten. Er komt naar voren dat verwondering gerelateerd is aan het vertonen van meer moreel gedrag. Vooral empathie zorgt voor meer verwondering. Meisjes verwonderen zich meer dan jongens. Daarnaast vertonen meisjes meer empathie en altruïsme. Meisjes vertonen daarentegen niet meer integriteit dan jongens. Wanneer een kind zich verwondert over kwaadaardig gedrag en/of kunst, wordt er meer moreel gedrag vertoond dan wanneer het kind zich verwondert over een ander verwonderingsthema. Meer verwondering gaat dus samen met meer inlevingsvermogen, meer perspectiefname en meer welwillendheid. Dit verband is voor het eerst onderzocht dus meer onderzoek kan worden verricht. Men moet zich altijd blijven verwonderen.Show less
De ontwikkeling van empathie bij kinderen is een belangrijk aspect van het opgroeien. Empathie ligt ten grondslag aan de ontwikkeling van verschillende andere ontwikkelingsdomeinen, zoals sociaal...Show moreDe ontwikkeling van empathie bij kinderen is een belangrijk aspect van het opgroeien. Empathie ligt ten grondslag aan de ontwikkeling van verschillende andere ontwikkelingsdomeinen, zoals sociaal begrip en emotionele competentie. Het is daarom belangrijk onderzoek te doen naar de ontwikkeling van empathievoorlopers en factoren die hierop van invloed zijn, om op die manier het begin van de empathieontwikkeling in kaart te brengen. In het huidige onderzoek is gekeken naar 95 moeders tussen de 17 en 24 jaar en hun eerste kind. Er is gekeken naar de invloed die sensitief gedrag van moeder heeft op de ontwikkeling van globale empathie, zelf-troostend gedrag, duur van een verhoogd arousal-niveau bij het kind en latentietijd van de kindreactie. Daarnaast is gekeken of reflectief functioneren (RF) dan wel prenataal RF van invloed is op deze relatie. Er is een interactie-effect gevonden van sensitiviteit en RF op globale empathieontwikkeling. Een mogelijke verklaring hiervoor is dat moeders met slecht RF niet goed kunnen reflecteren op stress van het kind, waardoor ze op dat moment zelf ook gestrest raken en hun sensitiviteit afneemt. Dit significante effect is niet gevonden voor prenataal RF. Er werd tevens geen effect gevonden voor sensitiviteit en (prenataal) RF op de overige variabelen.Show less
An Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication. Lacks of Theory of Mind, empathy and...Show moreAn Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication. Lacks of Theory of Mind, empathy and emotion recognition have been invoked as an explanatory mechanism for the impairments in the social cognition in an ASD. There is a need for a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms for a better diagnosis and treatment of women with an ASD, because they are good in hiding the characteristics of an ASD. The current study compares different aspects of social cognition between women with a high functioning ASD and typical developed (TD) women through a comparison between women with and without an ASD. This comparison is based on their performance of social cognition tasks and through a comparison between women with an ASD mutually based on their reflectivity. A total of 31 women with an ASD and 30 TD women participated in this study. The prosody task of the ANT was used for recognition of basic emotions. For the visual emotion recognition the Facial Expression Recognition task was used. The informant list of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index was used to get the various aspects of empathy in daily life. The Dewey Social Story test was used for an impression of perspective taking and understanding of usual and unusual social situations. Results show that women with an ASD have more difficulty with perspective taking and in understanding of other people’s mental states. Although women with an ASD perform similar to TD women in recognizing the basic emotions, women with an ASD perform worse when these emotions are showed with low intensity. Women with an ASD are also slower in recognizing all basic emotions. The results of the comparison within the ASD-group based on their reflectivity shows that women with a good reflectivity are better in recognizing basic emotions when emotions are showed with high intensity. Furthermore, there are no noticeable differences in the comparison between women with good and poor reflectivity within the ASD-group. The two components, in which women with an ASD perform worse compared to women without ASD, can possibly play an important role in the social interactions, which are often based on high speed unconscious activities. More research is needed for a better understanding of the relationship between the Theory of Mind and the reflectivity and of the relationship between the different explanatory models of the impairments in social interaction and communication.Show less
The goal of the present study was to examine the relationship between empathy and externalizing behavior problems in a sample of 105 children (mean age = 11.45, SD = 3.13). The children in this...Show moreThe goal of the present study was to examine the relationship between empathy and externalizing behavior problems in a sample of 105 children (mean age = 11.45, SD = 3.13). The children in this sample participated in a community-based intervention program aiming to prevent delinquency. Two types of externalizing behavior problems, aggressive behavior and rule-breaking behavior, were measured before intervention started. Children showed more aggressive behavior when they were less empathic. There was no relationship between empathy and the level of rule breaking behavior the children showed. After six months of intervention, a second measurement of the children’s externalizing aggressive and rule-breaking behavior took place. The relationship between empathy and aggressive behavior no longer existed, probably because the aggressive behavior decreased due to the intervention. Also, there was no relationship between empathy and the intervention effect. Empathy only seems to play a minor role in predicting the level of externalizing behavior problems children show. Results indicate a significant decrease of aggressive behavior as well as rule breaking behavior after six months of intervention. This suggests that this intervention program is effective in reducing an important risk factor for becoming delinquent. Interestingly, higher levels of aggressive- or rule breaking behavior prior to intervention started were related to higher intervention effects. It seems the intervention is especially effective in reducing externalizing problems in children who have the highest risk for becoming delinquent.Show less
Deze studie onderzoekt of de Nederlandse agressie interventie ‘Minder boos en Opstandig’ effectief is in het verminderen van agressie bij kinderen die hoog scoren op ‘Callous-Unemotional traits’,...Show moreDeze studie onderzoekt of de Nederlandse agressie interventie ‘Minder boos en Opstandig’ effectief is in het verminderen van agressie bij kinderen die hoog scoren op ‘Callous-Unemotional traits’, ook wel CU trekken. Dit wordt onderzocht in het licht van het empathisch vermogen. Het is belangrijk uit te vinden of ook deze specifieke subgroep, gekenmerkt door een extreme vorm van agressie problematiek, kan worden behandeld. Alleen dan kunnen problemen op latere leeftijd worden voorkomen. Voor het onderzoek zijn twee vragenlijsten (RPQ en ICU) en een computertaak (Dot Probe) afgenomen bij een klinische onderzoeksgroep met agressie problematiek, met leeftijden tussen de 8 en 12 jaar (voormeting: M = 10;1, SD = 1.15, N = 30). Meetmomenten waren voorafgaande aan de interventie en na afloop. Gebleken is dat de interventie effectief is in het verminderen van agressie als totaal en in het verminderen van proactieve- en reactieve agressie bij de gehele onderzoeksgroep. Empathie neemt niet significant toe als gevolg van de interventie en CU trekken verminderen eveneens niet significant. Wel correleren scores op CU trekken hoog met elkaar. Dit geeft de mogelijke stabiliteit van de karaktertrek weer. Verder bleek dat hoe hoger de score op CU trekken, hoe hoger de score op agressie. Op de mate van agressieafname bleken CU trekken niet van invloed. Echter wanneer CU trekken wel afnemen als gevolg van het onderzoek, resulteert dit in een afname van proactieve agressie. Als laatste werd een verband zichtbaar tussen de gemeten agressie afname en de gemeten empathie toename. Deze resultaten impliceren dat er mogelijk wel een basis is voor het verminderen van agressie bij CU trekken, maar dat er, om dit te bewerkstelligen, extra aandacht besteed moet worden aan het inspelen op het empathisch vermogen en het leren kijken naar sociale situaties en signalen.Show less
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disorder that affects 1 in 3000 to 4560 people worldwide. The phenotype and the degree of severity of NF1 are highly variable. Symptoms...Show moreNeurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disorder that affects 1 in 3000 to 4560 people worldwide. The phenotype and the degree of severity of NF1 are highly variable. Symptoms include café-au-lait macules, neurofibromas and Lisch noduli. The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which the disease severity is linked to social factors in the life of the adult with NF1, using regression and mediation analysis. Participants were 46 adults diagnosed with NF1 aged 22 tot 58 years. The data presented have resulted from questionnaires participants filled out online. Disease severity was associated with social skills and perceived social support. A more severe phenotype was associated with a lower score on social skills and was also associated with less perceived social support. Although disease severity and cognition did not correlate, cognition was also a predictor for social skills and perceived social support. A higher score on cognition was associated with a higher score on social skills. A higher score on cognition was also associated with a higher score on perceived social support. These results provide a better understanding of the social profile of adults with NF1 and offer guidelines for support.Show less
Externalizing problem behavior among adolescents is an important problem in the Dutch society. Earlier research showed that there is a relationship between externalizing problem behavior and moral...Show moreExternalizing problem behavior among adolescents is an important problem in the Dutch society. Earlier research showed that there is a relationship between externalizing problem behavior and moral reasoning, but it is not yet clear how this relationship can be explained. This study examines whether empathy mediates the relationship between moral reasoning and externalizing problem behavior, and whether this mediating effect differs for boys and girls and different ethnic groups. 484 high school students (50% boys) filled in a questionnaire which measured the amount of externalizing problem behavior, their level of moral reasoning and their dispositional empathy. The adolescents came from different ethnic groups and their average age was 14.97 years. T-tests, one-way ANOVA’s and regression analysis were used to answer the research question. Girls had a higher level of moral reasoning and scored higher on empathy. It turned out that empathy is a partial mediator between moral reasoning and externalizing problem behavior, for both boys and girls. This mediating effect was also found for the Turkish adolescents. When a distinction was made between different aspects of empathy, both Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking turned out to be partial mediators between moral reasoning and externalizing problem behavior. These findings can be used to design prevention- and intervention programs that focus on raising the levels of moral reasoning and empathy among adolescents. By doing this it is expected that youths will develop less externalizing problem behavior. These interventions can be carried out at high schools or juvenile detention centers, among others. More research needs to be done to examine the relationship between moral reasoning and externalizing problem behavior and to find out which variables influence this relationship.Show less
Emotionele beschikbaarheid van vaders en moeders en het verband met empathie bij kinderen tussen 30 en 42 maanden oud werd onderzocht met behulp van de emotional availability scales (EAS; Biringen,...Show moreEmotionele beschikbaarheid van vaders en moeders en het verband met empathie bij kinderen tussen 30 en 42 maanden oud werd onderzocht met behulp van de emotional availability scales (EAS; Biringen, 2008)en een bewerking van My Child 2 (Kochanska, 1994) over empathie. Directe verbanden tussen Emotionele Beschikbaarheid of subdimensies sensitiviteit, structureren en non-intrusiviteit en empathie werden niet gevonden. Wel waren moeders meer emotioneel beschikbaar naar jongens toe, en vaders intrusiever ook naar jongens toe. Verder was er moderatie van het verband tussen sensitiviteit van moeders en empathie bij jongens door structureren van moeders. Meisjes waren niet empathischer dan jongens. In deze studie werden zowel vaders als moeders onderzocht, maar mede omdat er in andere onderzoeken over bovengenoemd onderwerp voornamelijk moeders onderzocht werden, is er meer behoefte aan onderzoek naar vaders.Show less
