Edwards Alison, Eisenberg Nancy, Spinrad Tracy L, Reiser Mark, Eggum-Wilkens Natalie D, Liew Jeffrey
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University.
T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University.
Soc Dev. 2015 Feb;24(1):76-94. doi: 10.1111/sode.12084.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether dispositional sadness predicted children's prosocial behavior and if sympathy mediated this relation. Constructs were measured when children ( = 256 at Time 1) were 18-, 30-, and 42-months old. Mothers and non-parental caregivers rated children's sadness; mothers, caregivers, and fathers rated children's prosocial behavior; sympathy (concern and hypothesis testing) and prosocial behavior (indirect and direct, as well as verbal at older ages) were assessed with a task in which the experimenter feigned injury. In a panel path analysis, 30-month dispositional sadness predicted marginally higher 42-month sympathy; in addition, 30-month sympathy predicted 42-month sadness. Moreover, when controlling for prior levels of prosocial behavior, 30-month sympathy significantly predicted reported and observed prosocial behavior at 42 months. Sympathy did not mediate the relation between sadness and prosocial behavior (either reported or observed).
本研究的目的是检验特质性悲伤是否能预测儿童的亲社会行为，以及同情是否在这种关系中起中介作用。当儿童（时间1时n = 256）18个月、30个月和42个月大时，对相关构念进行测量。母亲和非父母照顾者对儿童的悲伤程度进行评分；母亲、照顾者和父亲对儿童的亲社会行为进行评分；通过让实验者假装受伤的任务来评估同情（关心和假设检验）和亲社会行为（间接和直接的，以及年龄较大儿童的言语亲社会行为）。在一个面板路径分析中，30个月大时的特质性悲伤略微预测了42个月大时更高的同情水平；此外，30个月大时的同情预测了42个月大时的悲伤。此外，在控制亲社会行为的先前水平时，30个月大时的同情显著预测了42个月大时报告的和观察到的亲社会行为。同情并没有在悲伤和亲社会行为（无论是报告的还是观察到的）之间起中介作用。
