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     Goldstein and Winner (2012) found that role-playing in the form of acting appears to cultivate cognitive empathy. In addition, when parents make references to feelings in ordinary conversations, children’s perspective-taking and affect recognition increase (Dunn, Brown, & Beardsall, 1991). In regards to framing perspective-taking questions, Batson, Early, and Salvarani (1997) found that asking individuals to imagine how others feel was more effective at inducing empathy and reducing personal distress than asking them to imagine how they themselves would feel in the others’ situation.

     Parenting techniques seem to have a significant impact on children’s development of cognitive empathy as well. In particular, induction, when a parent refers to the other’s perspective, points out their distress, and clarifies that the child’s action cause this distress promotes perspective-taking (Hoffman, 2000; Krevans & Gibbs, 1996). Perspective-taking also increases when parents use distancing, in which caregivers question and challenge the child’s viewpoint (versus explicitly explaining logic in induction), thereby promoting consideration of alternative explanations (Peterson & Skevington, 1988). There is some preliminary evidence that meditation is associated with higher cognitive empathy levels (Block-Lerner, Adair, Plumb, Rhatigan, & Orsillo, 2007; Birnie, Speca, & Carlson, 2010; Császár, 2012; Leppma, 2011) and that gratitude cultivates empathy as well (Booker & Dunsmore, 2015; DeWall, Lambert, Pond, Kashdan, & Fincham, 2012)

 

 

References

  • Batson, C. D., Early, S., & Salvarani, G. (1997). Perspective taking: Imagining how another feels versus imaging how you would feel. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 751–758.  doi:10.1177/0146167297237008

  • Birnie, K., Speca, M., & Carlson, L. E. (2010). Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR). Stress and Health, 26, 359–371. doi:10.1002/smi.1305

  • Block‐Lerner, J., Adair, C., Plumb, J. C., Rhatigan, D. L., & Orsillo, S. M. (2007). The case for mindfulness‐based approaches in the cultivation of empathy: Does nonjudgmental, present‐moment awareness increase capacity for perspective‐taking and empathic concern?. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33(4), 501-516.

  • Booker, J. A., & Dunsmore, J. C. (2015). Profiles of wisdom among emerging adults: Associations with empathy, gratitude, and forgiveness. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1-11.

  • Császár, I. E. (2012). The effect of loving kindness meditation and student teachers stress and empathy (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

  • DeWall, C. N., Lambert, N. M., Pond, R. S., Kashdan, T. B., & Fincham, F. D. (2012). A Grateful Heart is a Nonviolent Heart Cross-Sectional, Experience Sampling, Longitudinal, and Experimental Evidence. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3(2), 232-240.

  • Dunn, J., Brown, J., & Beardsall, L. (1991). Family talk about feeling states and children's later understanding of others' emotions. Developmental Psychology, 27, 448–455. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.27.3.448

  • Goldstein, T. R., & Winner, E. (2012). Enhancing empathy and theory of mind. Journal of Cognition and Development, 13, 19–37. doi:10.1080/15248372.2011.573514

  • Hoffman, M. L. (2000). Empathy and moral development: Implications for caring and justice. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

  • Krevans, J., & Gibbs, J. C. (1996). Parents’ use of inductive discipline: Relations to children’s empathy and prosocial behavior. Child Development, 67, 3263–3277.

  • Leppma, M. (2011). The effect of loving-kindness meditation on empathy, perceived social support, and problem-solving appraisal in counseling students. Doctoral dissertation, University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida.

  • Peterson, C., & Skevington, S. (1988). The relation between young children’s cognitive role-taking and mothers’ preference for a conflict-inducing childrearing method. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human Development, 149, 163–174.

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