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Published on: June 12, 2017
Empathic responding and hippocampal volume in young children
Jessica A Stern1, Morgan Botdorf1, Jude Cassidy1
1Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park.
Larger hippocampal volume in boys aged 4-8 years correlated with increased empathic responding. This suggests the hippocampus plays a role in early childhood empathy development, particularly in males.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Empathic responding is crucial for social interaction, involving complex cognitive and emotional processes.
- Emerging adult research links the hippocampus to empathy, but its role in early childhood remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between hippocampal volume and empathic responding in young children (ages 4-8).
- To explore potential sex differences in this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Examined concurrent associations between empathic responding and hippocampal volume in 78 children.
- Measured bilateral hippocampal volume and observed empathic responses to an experimenter in distress.
Main Results:
- Larger bilateral hippocampal volume predicted greater observed empathic responses in boys, but not girls.
- The association was independent of hippocampal subregion and age.
- No significant relationship was found between empathic responding and amygdala volume.
Conclusions:
- Hippocampal structure contributes to individual differences in children's empathic responding, supporting findings in adults.
- Results highlight the hippocampus as an understudied neural structure in empathy development.
- Findings suggest potential sex differences in the neurodevelopment of empathy during early childhood.
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