Abstract
Although empathy-related responding has frequently been associated with prosocial behaviour directed towards the target of an individual's vicarious emotional responding, relations between dispositional prosocial behaviour and sympathy or personal distress have seldom been examined, particularly with a multimethod approach. Kindergarten to third-graders' empathy-related responses to a film were examined as predictors of dispositional prosocial behaviour as reported by teachers, parents, and peers. Teachers' ratings of dispositional behaviour were related to children's facial and skin conductance reactions to the film. Parents' and peers' ratings of dispositional prosocial behaviour were infrequently associated with children's empathy-related responding, although peer reports were positively related to heart rate acceleration for boys. Reasons for the differential patterns of relations for different reporters are considered.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 169-193 |
Number of pages | 25 |
Journal | International Journal of Behavioral Development |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 1998 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Education
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Life-span and Life-course Studies