Measuring dispositional empathy in South African children.

OBJECTIVE: Empathy is a key factor to examine in development, because of its predictive associations with both aggression and successful prosocial behaviour. However, established measures of empathy for Low-to-Middle Income Countries, including South Africa, are lacking. In children, parent-report measures are key. However, a local study examining empathy and aggression (Malcolm-Smith et al., 2015) found poor psychometric performance for a widely used parent-report measure of dispositional empathy, the Griffith Empathy Measure (GEM). We thus investigated which of two questionnaires measuring dispositional cognitive and affective empathy perform better in this context. METHOD: We contrasted internal consistency reliability of a simplified version of the GEM (SGEM; n = 160) and a parent-report version of the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE; n = 440) in a low-mid socio-economic status sample. Convergence between the measures and factor structure were also assessed. RESULTS: The parent-report version of the QCAE performed well as a measure of child dispositional cognitive and affective empathy, with good reliability (overall α = 0.90 vs. SGEM α = .63), and confirmatory factor analysis supporting the two-factor structure. The SGEM's reliability and failure to correlate with QCAE indicated poor psychometric performance. CONCLUSION: This is the first psychometric evaluation of the QCAE as a parent-report measure, and our results indicate that it should prove useful for future assessments of dispositional empathy in children across a variety of contexts.

Leftward cradling bias in males and its relation to autistic traits and lateralised emotion processing.

Recent research has identified a leftward cradling bias in males, although males are much less lateralised than females. It has been suggested that on an individual level this leftward bias is strengthened as males acquire caregiving experience. Furthermore, recent explanations propose that leftward cradling bias is facilitated by right-hemispheric specialisation for processing facial emotions. Some have suggested that it is specifically facilitated by right-hemispheric specialisation for basic social-affective processes that underlie our capacity to relate to others. The present study investigated male cradling bias in relation to these three factors. Ninety-eight right-handed males aged 18-56 years were observed across four separate trials of an imaginary cradling scenario. Caregiving experience, attachment style, hemispheric lateralisation for processing facial emotion, and autistic traits were measured. A leftward cradling bias was observed in 72.4% of participants and was not contingent on caregiving experience. Regression analyses revealed that right-hemispheric lateralisation for processing facial emotions and autistic traits were both significant predictors of leftward cradling, while attachment style did not predict leftward cradling. Overall, our findings indicate that the leftward cradling bias in males is not contingent on previous caregiving experience and provide further support for right-hemispheric specialisation and basic social-affective processing explanations.

Depressive symptoms disrupt leftward cradling.

Objective: Leftward cradling bias is thought to facilitate optimal interaction between mother and infant. There is mixed evidence indicating this bias may be disrupted by depression. This study investigated the relationship between depressive symptoms and preferred cradling side (i.e., cradling bias) in nulliparous women. Method: Six hundred and nineteen females, aged 18 to 25 years, were asked to imagine cradling an infant to soothe it. This instruction was given on four separate occasions. Participants also completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II. All data were collected via an online survey. Results: As the number of depressive symptoms increased, leftward cradling decreased. Although this relationship was not statistically significant, a pattern emerged: As depressive symptoms increased, so too did the likelihood of cradling to the right. Furthermore, those scoring highest on depressive symptoms were more likely to cradle inconsistently to the left, consistently to the right, or show no bias, when compared to those scoring lower on depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Theory suggests that leftward cradling is facilitated by right hemisphere processes involved in relating to others. A relationship between affective symptoms such as depressive symptoms and reduced leftward cradling bias supports this argument. It is argued that leftward cradling facilitates optimal interactions between cradler and infant. Consequently, disruptions of leftward cradling have implications for child development.

Depressive symptoms disrupt leftward cradling

Objective: Leftward cradling bias is thought to facilitate optimal interaction between mother and infant. There is mixed evidence indicating this bias may be disrupted by depression. This study investigated the relationship between depressive symptoms and preferred cradling side (i.e., cradling bias) in nulliparous women.Method: Six hundred and nineteen females, aged 18 to 25 years, were asked to imagine cradling an infant to soothe it. This instruction was given on four separate occasions. Participants also completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II. All data were collected via an online survey.Results: As the number of depressive symptoms increased, leftward cradling decreased. Although this relationship was not statistically significant, a pattern emerged: As depressive symptoms increased, so too did the likelihood of cradling to the right. Furthermore, those scoring highest on depressive symptoms were more likely to cradle inconsistently to the left, consistently to the right, or show no bias, when compared to those scoring lower on depressive symptoms.Conclusions: Theory suggests that leftward cradling is facilitated by right hemisphere processes involved in relating to others. A relationship between affective symptoms such as depressive symptoms and reduced leftward cradling bias supports this argument. It is argued that leftward cradling facilitates optimal interactions between cradler and infant. Consequently, disruptions of leftward cradling have implications for child development

Investigating the role of social-affective attachment processes in cradling bias: the absence of cradling bias in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Previous studies suggest that leftward cradling bias may facilitate mother-infant relationships, as it preferentially locates the infant in the mother's left hemi-space, which is specialized for several social-affective processes. If leftward cradling bias is mediated by social-affective attachment processes, it should be reduced in humans who are deficient in such processes. Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) constitute a population with known deficits in social and emotional relating. A pilot study confirmed reduced bias in this group, and in the present study, we elaborated methods to assess also the impact of higher cognitive processes on cradling bias. Direct systematic observation was used to investigate the occurrence of cradling bias in ASD, non-ASD intellectually disabled children and typically developing children. Ninety-three participants aged 5-15 years cradled a life-like doll on four separate occasions. Intelligence and executive functions were assessed. Regression analyses revealed that ASD diagnosis was the only significant predictor of atypical cradling preference. While intellectually disabled and typically developing children clearly preferred to cradle to the left, no preference was evident in the ASD group. Results support the hypothesis that leftward cradling bias is associated with basic social-affective capacities.

Cradling bias is absent in children with autism spectrum disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated relations among empathy and cradling bias in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). METHOD: Twenty children with ASDs and 20 typically developing (TD) children, aged 5-15 years old, cradled a doll as if it were an infant s/he was putting to sleep on three separate occasions. We recorded side preference on each occasion. RESULTS: Children with ASDs showed no preference for cradling side whereas TD children showed a strong left-sided preference. To the best of our knowledge, children with ASDs are the only population that does not exhibit cradling bias. CONCLUSION: An absence of cradling bias and empathy deficits in ASD may be related. If so, these data support the hypothesis that leftward cradling is a characteristic of enhanced quality of caregiver-infant interaction and bonding.