Perspective taking, empathy, and prosocial behavior in late childhood

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine how aspects of perspective taking in response to another's distress are related to prosocial behavior and dispositional affective empathy in late childhood. Perspective taking was assessed by analyzing spontaneous thoughts provoked by information about Subjects were 30 male and 30 female 10- to 11-year-olds. Children's tendency to reflect spontaneously upon the inner experience of unfortunate others was positively related to prosocial behavior in boys, and to affective empathy in both sexes. Reflective judgments about interpersonal interactions involving a victim and a victimizer were strongly related to prosocial behavior. Prosocial subjects tended to combine a high level of concern for the victim with an effort to understand also the victimizer's point of view.