100,404 research outputs found

    Do moral emotions buffer the anger-aggression link in children and adolescents?

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    Given the prevalence of anger-related aggression in school and out-of-school contexts, research on counteracting the anger-aggression link in children and adolescents is likely to have implications for educators and practitioners. Here, we tested moral guilt and sympathy as potential moderators of the anger-aggression link in a sample of 4-, 8-, and 12-year-olds ( N= 242). Caregivers reported their children's aggression and anger levels with a questionnaire. Children reported their moral guilt (in response to vignettes depicting intentional harm) and sympathy levels in an interview. Moral guilt and sympathy interacted with anger in relation to aggression. Controlling for age, sex, socio-economic status, and inhibitory control, high anger was significantly related to high aggression, but not when children and adolescents had high guilt or sympathy. We discuss the potential roles of moral guilt and sympathy in mitigating the anger-aggression link

    Daily deviations in anger, guilt, and sympathy: a developmental diary study of aggression

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    With a diary study of 4- and 8-year-olds, we tested the association between daily deviations in anger and aggressive behavior, and whether this link was moderated by feelings of guilt and sympathy. Caregivers reported their children’s anger and aggression for 10 consecutive days (470 records; N = 80, 53 % girls). To calculate daily anger deviations from average anger levels, we subtracted each child’s average anger score (i.e., across 10 days) from his/her daily anger scores. Children reported their guilty feelings in response to vignettes depicting intentional harm, as well as their dispositional sympathy levels. Multilevel modeling indicated that within-child spikes in daily anger were associated with more aggression, above and beyond between-child differences in average anger levels. However, this association was weaker for children who reported higher levels of guilt. Sympathy did not moderate the anger-aggression link. We discuss potential implications for affective-developmental models of aggression and interventions that target anger-related aggression

    dCas9-Based Scn1a Gene Activation Restores Inhibitory Interneuron Excitability and Attenuates Seizures in Dravet Syndrome Mice

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    Colasante et al. exploit an activatory CRISPR-targeting Scn1a gene promoter as a therapeutic strategy to rescue Scn1a haploinsufficiency in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome and restore physiological levels of its gene product, the Nav1.1 voltage-gated sodium channel

    The physiological correlates of children's emotions in contexts of moral transgression

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    Heightened attention to sociomoral conflicts and arousal at the prospect of committing moral transgressions are thought to increase the likelihood of negatively valenced moral emotions (NVMEs; e.g., guilt) in children. Here, we tested this biphasic model of moral emotions with a psychophysiological framework. For a series of vignettes depicting moral transgressions, 5- and 8-year-olds (N = 138) were asked to anticipate their emotions as hypothetical victimizers. Their responses were coded for the presence and intensity of NVMEs. In addition, their heart rate (HR) was calculated for three intervals of interest: a baseline period, the presentation of vignettes, and the anticipation of emotions following vignettes. We used multilevel modeling to examine how change in children's HR across these intervals related to the intensity of their NVMEs. Those who experienced greater HR deceleration from baseline to vignettes and greater acceleration from vignettes to anticipated emotions reported more intense NVMEs. We discuss the potential attention- and arousal-related processes behind children's physiological reactivity and anticipated emotions in contexts of moral transgression

    Sharing without caring? Respect for moral others compensates for low sympathy in children's sharing

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    We examined links between sharing, respect for moral others, and sympathy in an ethnically diverse sample of 7- and 15-year-olds (N = 146). Sharing was assessed through children's allocation of resources in the dictator game. Children reported their respect towards hypothetical characters performing moral acts. Sympathy was evaluated via caregiver and child reports. Respect and caregiver-reported sympathy interacted in predicting sharing: Higher levels of respect were associated with higher levels of sharing for children with low, but not medium or high, levels of sympathy. The motivational components of other-oriented respect may compensate for low levels of sympathetic concern in the promotion of sharing

    School-based interventions to promote empathy-related responding in children and adolescents: a developmental analysis

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    Empathy has been identified as a core component of social and emotional functioning across development. Various prevention and intervention programs have utilized components of empathy-related responding to promote the development of children’s and adolescents’ social-emotional functioning and impede their aggression in school contexts. In this article, we assess the effectiveness of select school-based empathy interventions and the extent to which they align with developmental theory and research. First, we review current conceptualizations of empathy-related responding, identify its components, outline its normative development, and describe the need for developmentally tailored interventions. We then identify and assess the effectiveness and developmental sensitivity of 19 school-based programs with strong empirical support that target empathy-related responding across childhood and adolescence. Although the majority of these programs showed some degree of developmental differentiation between grades, none considered developmental differences within grades. Commencing interventions earlier in development and targeting higher numbers of empathy-related constructs were, in part, associated with larger effects. We discuss how future research can bridge the gap between basic developmental research and the design of developmentally tailored interventions to promote empathy-related responding

    Inhibitory control and moral emotions. Relations to reparation in early and middle childhood

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    This study examined links between inhibitory control, moral emotions (sympathy and guilt), and reparative behavior in an ethnically diverse sample of 4- and 8-year-olds (N = 162). Caregivers reported their children's reparative behavior, inhibitory control, and moral emotions through a questionnaire, and children reported their guilt feelings in response to a series of vignettes depicting moral transgressions. A hypothesized meditation model was tested with inhibitory control relating to reparative behavior through sympathy and guilt. In support of this model, results revealed that high levels of inhibitory control were associated with high levels of reparative behavior through high levels of sympathy and guilt. However, the mediation of inhibitory control to reparation through guilt was significant for 4-year-olds only. Results are discussed in relation to the temperamental, regulatory, and affective-moral precursors of reparative behavior in early and middle childhood

    Children's autonomic nervous system activity while transgressing: relations to guilt feelings and aggression

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    Despite the well-established protective functions of guilt across childhood, its underlying physiological mechanisms have received little attention. We used latent difference scores (LDS) to model changes in children's (N = 267; 4- and 8-year-olds, 51% girls) skin conductance (SC) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) while they imagined themselves committing antisocial acts. We then tested if their later reports of guilt, caregiver-reported aggressive behavior, and age were associated with these physiological changes. For 8-year-olds, changes in RSA leading up to and during transgressions were uniquely associated with the intensity of guilt feelings after transgressions. Eight-year-olds with higher guilt were rated lower in aggression, although children's physiology and aggression were not directly related. We discuss how fluctuations in physiology while transgressing may prepare children to mount adaptive guilt responses afterward and-more broadly-implications for understanding the mechanisms behind guilt and related behavior in early and middle childhood

    The circular economy and bioeconomy in the fashion sector: Emergence of a “sustainability bias”

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    While many people consider clothes shopping an enjoyable leisure activity, the constant supply of new fashion styles at very low prices has led to a significant increase in the volume of clothes produced and disposed (i.e., “fast fashion”). The present study aimed at assessing consumer attitudes towards the fashion sector, particularly with respect to the bioeconomy and the circular economy. To this end, an online survey was administered to a sample of 402 Italian consumers. The most meaningful result was an incorrect evaluation of sustainability resulting in a different consumers' attitude toward bio and circular economy. Indeed, respondents were willing to buy bio-based clothes as well as other bio-based products. However, in the second-hand market – representing a pillar of the circular economy – respondents were reluctant to purchase used clothes, even though they expressed no concern about buying other used items. This discrepancy in consumer attitudes was confirmed by an analysis of respondents' willingness to pay for a white t-shirt and by computing the circular premium: respondents were willing to pay a lower price for a second-hand t-shirt, resulting in a negative premium (−57%). Instead, it was positive for bio-based clothes (+23%). A possible explanation for this is that respondents’ environmental concerns were overshadowed by their perception of second-hand clothing as poor quality. Sustainable fashion requires increased consumer awareness of the real meaning of sustainability and, moreover, businesses that combine ethical with circular bioeconomy practices

    Changes in cortical sensitivity to infant facial cues from pregnancy to motherhood predict mother–infant bonding

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    The transition to motherhood triggers changes in human brain structure that may facilitate mother–infant bonding. Although much research on maternal cortical responses to infant faces has focused on the postpartum period, no previous study has examined whether longitudinal functional changes in the maternal cortex during pregnancy and postpartum are associated with mother–infant bonding. Using electroencephalography, prenatal to postnatal changes in cortical sensitivity (P1, P2, late positive potential, N170 event-related potentials) to infant and adult faces were examined in relation to reported mother–infant bonding in 40 mothers (Mage = 30.5 years). Prenatal to postnatal increases in P1 and P2 responses to infant faces predicted stronger bonding. Findings suggest that cortical changes in attention allocation rather than in face-specific encoding enhance bonding
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