Teaching empathic concern and altruism in the smartphone age

Numerous studies show empathic concern promotes altruistic motivation and prosocial behavior. Here, we discuss empathic concern, its relation to altruistic motivation, and how empathic concern is invoked in experimental studies. We do this with an eye toward applying laboratory techniques in the classroom, and everyday life, to foster empathic concern and altruistic responding. This goes beyond teaching about empathic concern to setting up conditions that help people experience this psychological state, and its benefits, firsthand. Smartphone-based ecological momentary interventions (EMIs) can help us do this by raising self- and other-awareness, and by promoting empathic states and practices in daily life. While smartphones often pull us away from direct personal interaction, we explore ways of using these devices to redirect our attention to those around us. We end by suggesting that these ways of helping people regularly experience and act upon empathic concern in daily life might help nurture a compassionate disposition.     

幼儿园故事教学的实施策略

故事教学对幼儿的成长具有重要的价值和意义,主要表现在促进幼儿语言能力和观点采择能力的发展等方面。在故事教学过程中,幼儿教师可以创设多种游戏形式,同时采用音画同构、生活化语言、多形式阅读等策略,促进幼儿语言与身心健康发展。     

Analog of parental empathy: Association with physical child abuse risk and punishment intentions

Objectives

Current research has been inconsistent in corroborating that parents’ compromised empathy is associated with elevated physical child abuse risk, perhaps in part because of an emphasis on dispositional empathy rather than empathy directed at their own children. Research has also relied on self-reports of empathy that are susceptible to participant misrepresentation. The present study utilized an analog task of parental empathy to investigate the association of parental empathy toward one's own child with physical child abuse potential and with their tendency to punish perceived child misbehavior.

Methods

A sample of 135 mothers and their 4–9 year old children were recruited, with mothers estimating their children's emotional reactions using a behavioral simulation of parental empathy. Mothers also provided self-reports on two measures of child abuse potential, a measure of negative attributions and expected punishment of children using vignettes, as well as a traditional measure of dispositional empathic concern and perspective-taking.

Results

Findings suggest that parental demonstration of poorer empathic ability on the analog task was significantly related to increased physical abuse potential, likelihood to punish, and negative child attributions. However, self-reported dispositional empathy exhibited the pattern of inconsistent associations previously observed in the literature.

Conclusions

Parental empathy appears to be a relevant target for prevention and intervention programs. Future research should also consider similar analog approaches to investigate such constructs to better uncover the factors that elevate abuse risk.     

The effects of virtual racial embodiment in a gaming app on reducing prejudice

This research experimentally examined the effectiveness of the use of virtual racial embodiment in a digital gaming application for reducing bias against a non-dominant group. The findings of this study advance theory and have practical implications for the design of immersive diversity initiatives. We tested avatar creation and the gaming app as a new modality for stimulating perspective-taking. In addition, we explored how sex and race intersect in virtual embodiment and stereotyping. Results showed that creating and embodying a Black avatar produced more favorable beliefs about African American men, but not African American women, and greater support for “pro-minority” policies in comparison to creating and playing a White avatar. Avatar liking was a significant moderator, but self-presence had no effect.     

Developing pre-requisites for empathy: increasing awareness of self,the body and the perspectives of others

Empathy is an important affective attribute for graduates entering future practice with diverse populations. Self- and bodily awareness and the ability to take others’ perspectives are essential for developing, maintaining and encouraging the cognitive, affective and motivational elements of empathy. This paper presents a thematic analysis of students’ summative reflections on body-focused wellness activity participation, which indicates increased self- and bodily awareness and developing ability to take on the perspectives of others. Prolonged engagement with authentic activities that focus attention on shared bodily aspects of life and encourage self-direction appears to be central for developing awareness and the ability to take on others’ perspectives. For some students, perspective-taking may produce recognition of disempowerment and the need for power reciprocity in future professional relationships, an essential element of practising empathy.     

5-6岁幼儿社会观点采择能力对公平分配行为的影响

公平分配行为是幼儿道德发展水平参考指标,是研究者关注的热点问题。为探讨公平分配行为与社会观点采择能力、卷入水平的关系。选取5-6岁幼儿112 名,以张文新和林崇德标准化处理的测验任务为测量社会观点采择能力的工具进行研究。实验一采用李占星的独裁者游戏法,考察社会观点采择能力对幼儿公平分配行为的具体影响。实验二采用王斯和苏彦捷的故事情境法,考察卷入水平和社会观点采择能力对幼儿公平分配行为的具体影响。结果表明:社会观点采择能力对幼儿两种公平分配行为的影响有所不同,社会观点采择能力高的幼儿平均分配行为更高,按劳分配行为不受影响;卷入水平影响幼儿的公平分配行为,幼儿在卷入情境中公平分配行为更高。     

Piloting forgiveness education in a divided community: Comparing electronic pen-pal and journaling activities across two groups of youth

We used a randomized quasi-experimental design to test the effectiveness of three types of perspective-taking condition in a forgiveness education program. Allport’s Contact Hypothesis was used as a framework for the study design. Eighth graders (n?=?132) in an urban Midwestern city were invited to participate. We evaluated the effectiveness of perspective-taking approaches in promoting forgiveness and reducing prejudice, anger and emotional reactivity. We also explored the effects of forgiveness education across socially and culturally diverse groups. We did not find differences between the perspective-taking conditions; however, all three groups improved on both forgiveness and prejudice. We also found the pattern of outcomes was different for the African American participants than for the European American participants. Implications for research and education are discussed.     

语用移情的认知解读

语用移情是言语交际中的有效交际策略。交际双方要成功地移情于对方需要做出两方面的认知努力,即心理揣摩和换位思考。语用移情也可以在关联理论中得到解释。交际双方在移情过程中做出的心理揣摩和换位思考是指导说话人生成最佳关联的明示话语和引导听话人获得最关联的语境效果的有效策略。     

感验营销——全媒体时代图书馆营销推广的必然趋势

论文总结了全媒体时代图书馆用户的主体性、主动性和娱乐性特点,发掘了感验营销对图书馆推广的意义,并从感官满意策略、情感满意策略、娱乐满意策略、行动满意策略和文化满意策略等方面对感验营销在图书馆推广中的实践应用进行了分析、归纳。