Open Access paper from JCPP Advances
Background – Empathy-understanding and sharing someone else’s feelings-is crucial for social bonds. Studies on empathy development are limited and mainly performed with behavioural assessments. This is in contrast to the extensive literature on cognitive and affective empathy in adults. However, understanding the mechanisms behind empathy development is critical to developing early interventions to support children with limited empathy. This is particularly key in toddlerhood, as children transition from highly scaffolded interactions with their parents and towards interactions with their peers. However, we know little about toddlers’ empathy, in part due to the methodological constraints of testing this population in traditional lab settings.
Authors: Chiara Bulgarelli, Emily J. H. Jones
First published: 24 January 2023
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