Individual differences among adult women in sensitivity to infants
Evidence in support of an empathy concept
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6201985 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alan R Wiesenfeld (Rutgers Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, corresponding author), Patricia B Whitman, Carol Zander Malatesta |
| Year | 1984 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 118-124 |
| Publication date | 1984-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1037//0022-3514.46.1.118 |
| PMID | 6694055 |
| OpenAlex | W2107783623 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 12 |
Emotional and physiological responsivity to infant signals was assessed in individuals who differed markedly in their level of empathy. Eighteen high-empathy and 20 low-empathy female observers viewed videotaped scenes of smiling, quiescent, and crying 5-month-olds as the observers' physiological and facial reactions were monitored. Subjects then rated their subjective emotional reactions to the scenes and judged the intensity of the infants' need for care. High-empathy subjects had larger electrodermal responses, tended to respond with matching facial expressions, had more extreme happiness and sadness reactions, and indicated stronger desire to pick up the infants. Additionally, the empathic group showed a trend toward greater cardiac responsiveness to the signals. The results support the hypothesis that high-empathy individuals are more emotionally responsive to infant emotional stimuli and hold different values about caregiving behavior. Applications of the findings to the training of caregivers are considered.
Anger · Crying · Developmental psychology · Empathy · Facial expression · Happiness · Prosocial behavior · Sadness · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Communication · Early Childhood Education and Development · Infant Health and Development · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior · Psychology · Social Psychology
Predicting adult responses to infant distress
Day-to-Day Variability in Empathy as a Function of Daily Events and Mood
The relation of empathy to prosocial and related behaviors
The origins of empathic concern
Disengagement is as revealing as prosocial action for young children’s responding to strangers in distress
Empathy
Empathy
The development of empathy in twins
Empathy with Animals and with Humans
| Unique citing works | 9 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,31 |
| Citation span | 1987 - 2020 (34) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 9 |