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Do Children's Attachment Security and Empathy Facilitate Story Appreciation?
Khatereh Borhani1, Julia F Christensen2, Klaus Frieler3
1Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Affective Science
|February 16, 2026
Summary
Childhood attachment security enhances story enjoyment by fostering positive aesthetic emotions. While empathy relates to affinity, it did not significantly impact story liking in this study of young Farsi speakers.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Aesthetics
- Child Development
Background:
- Aesthetic evaluation involves dispositional components.
- Understanding factors influencing children's aesthetic emotional experiences is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate aesthetic emotions in children during story listening.
- To examine the influence of attachment security and child empathy on aesthetic emotions and story liking.
- To test aesthetic emotions as mediators between dispositional factors and story liking.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 295 native Farsi speaking children (6-10 years) participated.
- Data collected on child-reported attachment security and mother-reported child empathy.
- A multiple mediator model was employed to analyze relationships.
Main Results:
- Attachment security positively predicted pleasing and captivating emotions, increasing story liking.
- Empathy was associated with affinity emotions, but these did not predict story liking.
- Aesthetic emotions partially mediated the relationship between attachment security and story liking.
Conclusions:
- Attachment security is a significant predictor of positive aesthetic experiences and story appreciation in children.
- Empathy's role in story liking may be indirect or influenced by other factors not measured.
- Findings highlight the importance of secure attachment for emotional engagement with narratives.
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