Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
06:07

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

9.2K

Distressed yet empathically sensitive: Preschoolers' responses to infant crying

Hung-Chu Lin1, Michelle Grisham1

  • 1The Psychology Department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, United States.

Infant Behavior & Development
|July 17, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Preschoolers showed infant-oriented empathic concern and helping behaviors when hearing simulated infant crying. Their helping actions were linked to empathic concern and cognitive inquiry, even when distressed.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Social-Emotional Learning

Background:

  • Infants' crying is a primary communication signal eliciting caregiver responses.
  • Understanding prosocial behaviors in early childhood is crucial for social development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate preschoolers' empathic concern and helping behaviors in response to simulated infant distress.
  • To examine the role of self-focused distress and cognitive inquiry in modulating prosocial actions.

Main Methods:

  • Preschoolers were exposed to a simulated long bout of progressively intense infant crying.
  • Measures included self-reported distress, empathic concern, and observed helping actions.
  • Cognitive inquiry was assessed to explore its interaction with empathic concern.

Main Results:

  • Preschoolers exhibited significant infant-oriented empathic concern and helping actions.
  • Self-focused distress was present but did not inhibit prosocial behaviors.
  • Helping actions were positively predicted by the interaction of empathic concern and cognitive inquiry.

Conclusions:

  • Preschoolers are capable of responding with empathy and help towards distressed infants, even when experiencing personal distress.
  • Cognitive processes, specifically empathic concern and cognitive inquiry, play a vital role in promoting helping behaviors in young children.

Keywords:
Cognitive processEmpathic concernPersonal distressPreschoolersProsocial helpingResponses to infant crying

More Related Videos

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice04:14

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice

Published on: November 22, 2024

1.3K
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

35.6K

Related Concept Videos

Empathy02:34

Empathy

Some researchers suggest that altruism operates on empathy. Empathy is the capacity to understand another person’s perspective, to feel what he or she feels. An empathetic person makes an emotional connection with others and feels compelled to help (Batson, 1991). Empathy can be expressed in several ways, including cognitive, affective, and motor. 
10.2K
Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
890
Cognitive Development During Adolescence01:18

Cognitive Development During Adolescence

During adolescence, individuals experience significant cognitive development that enhances their understanding of others' emotions and thoughts, known as cognitive empathy. This period is marked by an increased ability to adapt to others' perspectives and a more nuanced understanding of others' mental states, a skill that is foundational for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. The development of cognitive empathy relies heavily on the theory of mind — the...
719
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
2.1K
Attachment01:20

Attachment

Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that...
624
Coping Strategies: Emotion Focused01:20

Coping Strategies: Emotion Focused

Emotion-focused coping refers to a set of strategies aimed at managing the emotional impact of stressors, rather than directly addressing their causes. This approach involves altering one's emotional response to stressful situations to reduce their psychological effects. For example, individuals might talk with a friend or engage in activities like journaling to express their feelings. Such actions can help achieve emotional clarity or release, providing the psychological stability needed...
589