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ERIC Number: EJ848056
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 0
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-3920
Empathy Is Associated with Dynamic Change in Prefrontal Brain Electrical Activity during Positive Emotion in Children
Light, Sharee N.; Coan, James A.; Zahn-Waxler, Carolyn; Frye, Corrina; Goldsmith, H. Hill; Davidson, Richard J.
Child Development, v80 n4 p1210-1231 Jul-Aug 2009
Empathy is the combined ability to interpret the emotional states of others and experience resultant, related emotions. The relation between prefrontal electroencephalographic asymmetry and emotion in children is well known. The association between positive emotion (assessed via parent report), empathy (measured via observation), and second-by-second brain electrical activity (recorded during a pleasurable task) was investigated using a sample of one hundred twenty-eight 6- to 10-year-old children. Contentment related to increasing left frontopolar activation (p less than 0.05). Empathic concern and positive empathy related to increasing right frontopolar activation (ps less than 0.05). A second form of positive empathy related to increasing left dorsolateral activation (p less than 0.05). This suggests that positive affect and (negative and positive) empathy both relate to changes in prefrontal activity during a pleasurable task.
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: N/A