Dispositional empathy and physiological reactivity: joint contributions to maternal sensitivity with toddler-aged children
Emery, Helen
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/42344
Description
Title
Dispositional empathy and physiological reactivity: joint contributions to maternal sensitivity with toddler-aged children
Author(s)
Emery, Helen
Issue Date
2013-02-03T19:35:55Z
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
McElwain, Nancy L.
Department of Study
Human & Community Development
Discipline
Human & Community Development
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
Maternal sensitivity
sensitive parenting toddler-aged children
Dispositional empathy
parental empathy
skin conductance reactivity
physiological reactivity to infant cues
reactivity to infant cues
Abstract
The present study investigated maternal dispositional empathy and skin conductance level (SCL) reactivity in response to infant emotional cues as joint predictors of maternal sensitive behavior with their toddler-aged children. Sixty-four mother-toddler dyads (31 boys) were observed during a series of interaction tasks during a laboratory visit, and maternal sensitivity was assessed from approximately 55 minutes of observation per family. Maternal SCL reactivity to infant cues using a cry-laugh audio paradigm (Groh & Roisman, 2009) was assessed in a second mother-only laboratory visit. Mothers reported on their dispositional empathy via a questionnaire. Greater dispositional empathy was related to greater sensitivity at low, but not high, levels of SCL reactivity. Parallel analyses examining self-reported negative emotion during the cry-laugh paradigm as the moderator further supported the finding that dispositional empathy emerged as a significant predictor of sensitivity when mothers’ experienced low, rather than high, reactivity. Results are discussed in terms of specificity to type of sensitivity (distress and non-distress) and by reactivity measure.
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