Temperament is widely recognized as an important factor in shaping the trajectory of social and emotional development across childhood. However, the particular mechanisms by which temperamental differences contribute to emergence of early prosocial or problem behaviors have been poorly elucidated. The current study sought to examine the association between various temperamental factors on the emergence of internalizing, externalizing and empathic behaviors in toddlers. Temperament profiles were derived for 38 children, aged 29 to 34 months, based on responses by mothers to questions on the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire. Internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist. Finally, empathic behaviors were measured behaviorally during a laboratory play session. Scores on three temperamental factor scales (negative affect, surgency, and effortful control) were examined in relation to behavioral problems (internalizing/externalizing) and prosocial (global empathy towards mother/experimenter) behaviors using linear correlations and regressions. Higher negative emotionality was linked with increased internalizing and externalizing behaviors, while increased surgency was associated with decreased internalizing behaviors. These results are consistent with prior studies of temperament, supporting the contention that early child temperament significantly contributes to the emergence of behavior problems. No significant interaction effects were found between temperament styles in predicting behavior problems. Additionally, no significant main or interaction effects were found in predicting adaptive behaviors, such as empathic responding. The significance of these results is discussed with respect to our understanding of the etiological pathways to adaptive and maladaptive socioemotional development. / text

Participants on sex offender treatment programmes (SOTPs) seem to value victim empathy (VE) training exercises, despite there being little evidence to suggest that these reduce risk of reoffending. Participants also appear to value their therapeutic relationships. There has been very little research into SOTP facilitators’ views on treatment. This study explores whether facilitators also feel VE training is a useful part of treatment and if seeing empathy develop in offenders strengthens therapeutic alliance. 12 prison SOTP facilitators were interviewed. The transcripts were analysed using content and thematic analysis, there were six main findings. Facilitators were concerned that the perceived impact of VE was superficial compliance and the particular emotional aspect of VE training may help facilitators to empathise with difficult group members. This study contributes a facilitator perspective to the debate on including VE training in SOTPs, and suggests further research be completed into empathy constructs and how these apply to facilitators work.

Episodic simulation refers to the construction of imagined, hypothetical events that might occur in one's personal future. Damage to our capacity for episodic simulation can produce grave consequences, impairing our ability to anticipate, plan, and prepare for the future. New theoretical approaches have begun to uncover the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying episodic simulation, but much remains to be examined. The purpose of this dissertation is to further investigate the mechanisms supporting episodic simulation as well as the functions it serves. In the first study of the dissertation I examine age-related deficits in imagining the future, remembering the past, and describing the present (Paper 1). These findings replicate known deficits in older adults in episodic simulation and memory, yet provide evidence of non-episodic processes that also shape their expression. I next examine component cognitive and neural processes that are recruited to generate imagined events (Paper 2). Distinct regions of the hippocampus were active when encoding, tracking novelty, or constructing imagined events, suggesting a multifaceted role of the hippocampus in supporting episodic simulation. Finally, I present evidence that episodic simulation and memory can be used to facilitate empathy, that is, intentions to help a person in need (Paper 3). People are more willing to help a person in need after imagining or remembering helping that individual. Furthermore, the episodic vividness of these imagined or remembered events heightened intentions to help. These findings elucidate a previously unconsidered mechanism for facilitating empathy, and, in doing so, open the possibility for a new functional account of episodic simulation. I close by discussing the promise of this line of work that aims to provide new insights into the relationship between episodic simulation, memory, and empathy. / Psychology

These studies define a Buddhist conceptualization of compassion and describe the development of the Compassion Scale. The definition of compassion was adopted from Neff's (2003) model of self-compassion that proposes that the construct entails kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. The six-factor structure was adopted from the Self-Compassion Scale (2003) representing positively and negatively worded items of the three components proposed to entail compassion. The six-factors for compassion are named: kindness vs. indifference, common humanity vs. separation, and mindfulness vs. disengagement. Study 1 was conducted to provide support for content validity. Study 2 was conducted to provide initial validation for the scale. Study 3 was conducted to cross-validate findings from the second study. Results provide evidence for the structure of the scale. Cronbach's alpha and split-half estimates suggest good reliability for both samples. Compassion was significantly correlated with compassionate love, wisdom, social connectedness, and empathy providing support for convergent validity. Factor analysis in both samples indicated good fit using Hu & Bentler (1998) criteria. Results suggest that the Compassion Scale is a psychometrically sound measure of compassion. Given that Buddhist concepts of compassion are receiving increased attention in psychology (e.g. Davidson, 2006; Gilbert, 2005, Goetz, 2010) this scale will hopefully prove useful in research that examines compassion from a non-Western perspective. / text

The goal of the current study was to examine the impact of mothers’ attachment classification on their ability to change their parenting beliefs and behaviors over the course of a parenting intervention program. Results indicated that in large part, this study did not support the idea that secure mothers would benefit more from a parenting intervention program than insecure mothers. However, treatment group placement was found to moderate the extent to which attachment security and time interact on level of permissiveness. Specifically, insecure mothers in the seminar plus hands-on condition significantly decreased in their permissiveness over time. Thus, insecure individuals benefit from parenting intervention programs when they have the opportunity to practice as well as learn the material presented to them. / text

When selecting applicants for professions with job descriptions involving complex human interaction, identifying suitable candidates is essential. This strongly applies in police selection, because police officers must act appropriately at all times, deal with difficult and sometimes dangerous work situations, and come into contact with people who are in highly emotional states, such as anxiety, fear, excitement, and shock. However, suitability is a broad and vague concept that cannot be even defined without understanding the value of various personal skills and qualities for specific duties, ways that such skills are manifested during life as an officer (potentially both on- and off-duty), and appropriate ways to assess them. The overall aim of this thesis was to explore the personal skills and qualities that are relevant to suitability for the police profession with a special focus on the concept of empathy, and to investigate how it can be conceptualized and measured in the context of selection. Two of the four studies focused on different perspectives regarding the personal skills and qualities of a good police officer, while the other two focused on theoretical aspects and practical measurement of empathy. Mixed methods were used, in acknowledgement of the value of using different forms of data collection, material, and analytical methods to achieve valid information. The results and findings support several of the personal skills and qualities that have been identified in previous research and also can be found as criteria in police selection. Empathy should be considered in the selection process, but it is also important to ensure that there is an alignment between the definition of the concept and practical outcomes in police work. The findings indicate that empathy could be conceptualized in a relevant way using a social cognitive neuroscience (SCN) approach. In particular, a modified, Swedish 4-factor version of the Empathy Assessment Index (based on recent theoretical advances in SCN) appears to have considerable potential for further development. Future studies will focus on areas identified as requiring further research, such as the development of this instrument by adding complementary measures focusing on manifestations of empathy and other relevant qualities in actual work-related situations. Other aspects that require further attention include the definition, assessment, and impact of social desirability in selection contexts.

Art integration research has received much attention of late, yet the focus generally examines ways integration practice and pedagogy support or enhance outcomes of high stakes testing. Serving as a counterpoint, this qualitative action research study, grounded in my experiences as a middle school arts integration specialist, addresses the value of visual culture art integration as a site of youth empowerment. Working collaboratively over a period of four months with three non-art educators to create and teach a series of social justice art integration units with sixth graders, I examined ways an integrated art and visual culture curriculum fostered safe spaces for students to take risks by deconstructing and reconstructing their identities, beliefs and understandings of others and their world through artmaking. In chapter one, I recount early teaching experiences that prompted the research questions in which an examination of which arts integration pedagogies best stimulate students to examine visual culture, articulate voice, and question power relationships that perpetuate social inequities. I address the theoretical lens of social justice art education as it frames the study and examine and discuss the current literature surrounding visual culture and art integration in chapter two. Chapter three delineates methodologies employed in the action research study including data collection measures of visual journaling, artmaking and photography. In chapters four, five, and six, I recount the process in which students engaged with, responded to, and created artwork through three curricular units--in social studies examining the intersections of culture and visual culture as evidenced through advertising, in language arts class collaboratively exploring persuasion through environmental and ecological art installations, and in math class integrating Fibonacci's theories through art making. Findings, discussed in chapter seven, indicated that visual culture art integration, used by teachers is often mislabeled out of insecurity and is a viable methodology for increasing student engagement. When students work collaboratively a space is created for them to regain power in the classroom and increase empathy awareness for themselves and others. Furthermore, art making, within a non-art classroom, can be a particularly successful arena through which middle school students articulate and clarify their voices.

Over the course of theatre's history, villains had stereotypical traits: revenge, greed, and power. Contemporary villains, though, evoke more empathy and sympathy from audiences than classic villains. In an effort to understand the roots of villainous behavior in contemporary characters, this thesis surveys a few notable classic villains to help compare the classic to the contemporary. While holding on to qualities of the classic stereotypes, contemporary playwrights create frequent moments of sympathy and empathy for villains who appeal to audiences' desires to connect, justify, and understand the reasons for their villainies. This thesis investigates despicable yet empathetic villains in three plays: Tony Kushner's Angels in America, Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane, and Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's Assassins. An analysis of the playwrights' manipulation of characters and traits, as well as audience expectations, provides a theory on the new villain type and the lessons that can be learned.

A lack of empathy is considered to be a hallmark feature of psychopathy. However, remarkably little research has specifically examined the relationship between psychopathy and empathy, and what does exist relies solely on self-report measures, which is problematic given psychopaths' propensity for dishonesty. This research signifies an attempt to develop an objective measure of empathy, using psychophysiological indices of emotional experience as indicators of an empathic response. Specifically, corrugator and zygomatic facial muscle activity, event-related heart rate, and acoustic startle reflex responses were measured while participants viewed brief films of individuals experiencing happy and sad emotional events.Pilot investigations of the films suggest they are appropriate for eliciting happy and sad empathic emotion, and the pattern of responses by undergraduates with high and low trait levels of empathy indicates the validity of the approach, and the promise of utilizing psychophysiological indices of emotional responding to measure situational empathy in an objective manner. In particular, participants demonstrated patterns of psychophysiological responses to the empathy-inducing films which both matched their self-reported emotional experiences as well as the emotional valence of the stimuli. Moreover, several of the psychophysiological indices were able to discriminate high and low empathy individuals, whereby low empathy participants exhibited less facial expressiveness and less modulation of the acoustic startle reflex to the empathy-inducing stimuli than their high empathy counterparts.The paradigm was then extended to a sample of male undergraduates with high and low levels of psychopathic traits, as assessed by the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised. Results suggest a significant negative relationship between self-reported psychopathy and self-reported dispositional empathy, with high levels of psychopathy associated with low levels of dispositional empathy, particularly with respect to affective empathy. However, despite differences in dispositional empathy, psychopathic and non-psychopathic undergraduates were not easily discriminated on subjective or objective measures of situational empathy, with the exception of an anomalous pattern of zygomatic EMG activity exhibited by the psychopathic participants. The implications of these findings are discussed with respect to the nature of the empathic capabilities of psychopaths, as well as considerations of the methodological limitations of the current study and directions for future research.

En tidigare studie har visat att negativa effekter av att känna empati är övervägande på kort sikt medan positiva effekter är övervägande på lång sikt, gällande psykiatripersonal. Med den aktuella studien avsågs att undersöka huruvida liknande tendenser finns hos en generell population. 253 högskolestudenter deltog, och i en mellangruppsdesign besvarade hälften en enkät belysande upplevelser på kort sikt medan den andra hälften besvarade en likadan enkät belysande upplevelser på lång sikt. Resultatet visade att empati har olika effekter beroende på tidsperspektivet även för människor generellt, i form av mer positiva effekter på lång sikt. Denna effekt återfanns bland såväl kvinnor som män, och bland yngre såväl som äldre. En tänkbar förklaring är att intrycket blir ett annat med tidsmässig distans. / Evidence from an earlier study suggests that negative consequences of feeling empathy are predominant in the short-term, while positive consequences are predominant in the long-term, regarding psychiatry staff. This study investigated whether similar tendencies exist among a general population. 253 university students participated, and a between-subjects design was used in which half of the participants answered questionnaires illustrating experiences in the short-term, and the other half questionnaires illustrating experiences in the long-term. Also for people in general, the results showed that empathy has different effects depending on the time perspective through more positive effects in the long-term. This effect was valid, irrespective of gender or age. A possible explanation is that the impression changes with the distance that time brings.