Empathy in children is a hot research topic, and a subject of great practical importance for families and communities. Empathy seems to be a crucial component of social intelligence, and many scholars argue that empathy is the basis for morality. So people want to know when and how children become aware of the feelings of … Continue reading
Human empathy depends on the ability to share the emotions of others, to feel what other people feel. It is regarded by many people as the foundation of moral behavior. But to some, the concept seems rather airy-fairy. What does it mean to say “I feel your pain”? Isn’t that just a fanciful flight of … Continue reading
© 2009 -2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Teaching empathy? A skeptic might wonder if it makes any difference. Can’t we assume that empathy will emerge automatically, as part of the developmental process? After all, even babies show signs of empathy. For instance, experiments confirm that newborn babies are more likely to cry if … Continue reading
Should parents be friends with their kids? Surely that depends on your definition of friendship.
© 2008 – 2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Pure bullies are a distinctive group In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter learns a terrible truth: His late father had been a school bully. How disturbing. After all, Harry Potter’s father hadn’t been a social oaf—a slow-witted outsider who couldn’t … Continue reading
© 2008-2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved In the old days, people took a laissez-faire approach to bullying in school. Bullying was considered a normal part of growing up. Kids were left to work things out for themselves. But the evidence suggests that bullying isn’t a healthy part of childhood. Yes, bullying is found … Continue reading
Yes, manufacturers market “girl toys” and “boy toys”. But are children’s interest in gender-typical toys entirely a matter of cultural training?
© 2006-2011 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved “Social cognition” refers to the ways we perceive, think, and learn about people. Looking for information about how these abilities develop? In these pages, you’ll find articles about the social abilities of newborns, what babies know about social dominance, and the ways that infant-directed speech helps babies … Continue reading
© 2010 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Do you remember when you stopped believing in the Easter Bunny? Santa Claus? If you grew up speaking English (or any of the Germanic languages), these fantasy characters probably played a role in your early childhood. A positive role? I’ll bet most of us would say yes. … Continue reading
When I searched the web today, I found a batch of stories with headlines like “Study: Teenage brain lacks empathy,” and “Teen Brain: It’s all about me.” These stories describe a brain scan study, but key facts are incorrectly reported. Contrary to the headlines, the study didn’t actually measure empathy. Nor did researchers observe any … Continue reading