Research has found that role-playing in the form of acting appears to cultivate cognitive empathy for a broad age range (Goldstein & Winner, 2012). The researchers followed students – elementary and high school-aged – participating in one year of acting and compared them to those who participated in other arts training, such as visual arts or music. They found that those who participating in acting showed significant gains in empathy compared to those who did not. Hence, it appears that practicing being in another person’s shoes helps develop cognitive empathy skills in other situations as well.