Perspective taking and empathic concern in adolescence: Gender differences in developmental changes.

Empathy is an important social skill and is believed to play an essential role in moral development (Hoffman, 2000). In the present longitudinal study, the authors investigated adolescents' development of perspective taking and empathic concern from age 13 to 18 years (mean age at Wave 1=13 years, SD = 0.46) and examined its association with pubertal status. Adolescents (283 boys, 214 girls) reported for 6 consecutive years on their dispositional perspective taking and empathic concern and for 4 consecutive years on pubertal status. Latent growth curve modeling revealed gender differences in levels and developmental trends. Gender differences in perspective taking emerged during adolescence, with girls'…

• UU
  Universiteit Utrecht
• VU
  Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• NO
  Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

  Awards: GB-MAGW 480-03-005, 480-03-005
• A
  Achmea