Questionnaire Measures of Empathy in Children: A Scoping Review

Children’s unique developmental and contextual needs make it challenging to measure empathy validly and reliably. This scoping review is the first to collate currently available information about self-report, other-report, and performance-based questionnaire measures of empathy for children aged up to 11 years. Following the guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR; Tricco et al., 2018), a literature search using PsycINFO, Scopus, and Google Scholar identified 24 relevant measures of empathy in children, with publication years spanning 1958 to 2019. Questionnaires could broadly be classified into four groups, according to the extent to which they were developed with children’s developmental needs and contexts in mind, and were based on contemporary theory and research findings. There was a distinction between performance-based measures, which elicited children’s empathy-related responses to novel content and therefore assessed situational state empathy, and self- and other-report measures, which rated children’s general empathic tendencies and thus assessed dispositional trait empathy. Results highlighted the importance of researchers having clarity on their definition of empathy and choosing measures consistent with this, and the merit of utilizing a multimodal assessment approach.

Predictive potential for measuring motivational readiness for service in the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation

The article studies the components of the structure of the motivational sphere of the personality of employees of the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation. A theoretical and methodological analysis of the currently existing approaches to the study of the motivational sphere of a person's life is carried out and only those that are focused, to a greater extent, on the search and description of the dispositional (trait-like) foundations of motivation and the assessment of individual differences in the degree of their severity among employees are highlighted. ATS, to identify their deep motives and values that determine professional behavior and are able to predict it. One of the goals of the work was to create an original psychodiagnostic toolkit aimed at identifying the psychological characteristics of the professional motivation of candidates to enter the service in the internal affairs bodies, employees to be appointed to other positions in the internal affairs bodies and the choice of a certain direction of professional service by them. The novelty of the results lies in the fact that on the basis of the proposed structure and known methods and tests - questionnaires, a «Methodology for studying the professional motivation of candidates to enter the service in the internal affairs bodies, employees for appointment to other positions in the internal affairs bodies and the choice of a certain areas of professional service», which includes 12 basic scales: the need for achievement; the need for power; the need for security; the need for ownership; locus of control; hedonism / altruism; ambition; behavioral regulation; corruption resistance; conscientiousness; professional identity «I am a policeman» and a mandatory scale of «social desirability» and atypical responses. The developed methodology can be used in the activities of personnel departments to improve the professional psychological selection of candidates for entering the service in the internal affairs bodies, employees for appointment to other positions in the internal affairs bodies and the choice by them of a certain direction of professional service activity.

Tracking the Process of Resilience: How Emotional Stability and Experience Influence Exhaustion and Commitment Trajectories

This study responds to calls to conceptualize resilience as a dynamic process by examining individual trajectories of emotional exhaustion and affective commitment over time in the face of ongoing role demands. In contrast to research conceptualizing resilience as a dispositional trait, we conceptualize resilience in terms of patterns of between-individual variation in response trajectories (dynamic resilience). In a longitudinal study spanning three months and 12 observational periods, we show that individuals high in emotional stability had more static affective commitment trajectories and that organizational newcomers had less pronounced emotional exhaustion trajectories in response to ongoing demands. Both the patterns shown for those with high emotional stability and newcomers are indicative of greater dynamic resilience. Furthermore, we found that affective commitment trajectories were significant predictors of actual retention through the mediating mechanism of intent to remain. We discuss how our approach offers opportunities to study resilience in dynamic settings.

Vulnerable Dispositional Traits and Chronic Pain: Predisposing but not Predetermining

Introduction Dispositional traits can be protective or contribute to increased vulnerability in individuals with chronic pain. This study aims to evaluate the predictive utility of two dispositional trait measures, affect balance style and multi-domain trait groups specific to clinical pain, psychosocial functioning, experimental pain, and health outcomes at two years in individuals with chronic knee pain. MethodsThe study is a prospective analysis of 168 community dwelling individuals aged 45-85 years old with knee pain with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis. Affect balance style and multi-domain trait groups were developed and tested using regression analysis and machine learning (Support Vector Machine). ResultsAt baseline, affect balance style and multi-domain trait groups were predictive of psychosocial and clinical pain measures with the multi-domain trait groups showing a greater range of association with clinical measures. At the two-year time point, both the affect balance style groups and the multi-domain trait groups were predictive of physical and psychosocial functioning while the multi-domain trait groups were also predictive of all clinical pain measures. ConclusionThe multi-domain trait classification is a stronger predictor than the previously investigated affect balance style specific to clinical pain and pain-related functioning at two-years. Interestingly, in contrast to expectations, individuals in the vulnerable trait groups showed more variability in dispositional trait status at the two-year time point compared to those in the more protective trait groups. Findings reiterate that a vulnerable trait may be predisposing but is not predetermining regarding pain-related experiences.

The Relationship Between Gratitude and Religious Identification of NCAA Athletes: A Replication Study

A holistic, multicultural approach to student-athlete mental health, well-being, and performance promotes the consideration of spiritual and religious identities in counseling and consultation. Preliminary research supports the interconnectedness of spirituality, religiosity, and gratitude in athletes; thus, this study sought to replicate Gabana, D’Addario, Luzzeri, and Soendergaard's study (2020) and extend the literature by examining a larger, independently sampled, more diverse data set and multiple types of gratitude. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I–III student-athletes (N = 596) were surveyed to better understand how religious and spiritual identity related to trait, general-state, and sport-state gratitude. Results supported past research; athletes who self-identified as being both spiritual and religious reported greater dispositional (trait) gratitude than those who self-identified as spiritual/nonreligious or nonspiritual/nonreligious. Between group differences were not found when comparing general-state and sport-state gratitude. Findings strengthen and extend the understanding of spirituality, religion, and gratitude in sport. Limitations, practical implications, and future directions are discussed.

Hypnotizability-Related Asymmetries: A Review

Hypnotizability is a dispositional trait reflecting the individual ability to modify perception, memory and behavior according to imaginative suggestions. It is measured by validated scales that classify the general population in high (highs), medium (mediums) and low (lows) hypnotizable persons, predicts the individual proneness to respond to suggestions, and is particularly popular in the field of the cognitive control of pain and anxiety. Different hypnotizability levels, however, have been associated with specific brain morpho-functional characteristics and with peculiarities in the cognitive, sensorimotor and cardiovascular domains also in the ordinary state of consciousness and in the absence of specific suggestions. The present scoping review was undertaken to summarize the asymmetries observed in the phenomenology and physiological correlates of hypnosis and hypnotizability as possible indices of related hemispheric prevalence. It presents the findings of 137 papers published between 1974 and 2019. In summary, in the ordinary state of consciousness, behavioral, neurophysiological and neuroimaging investigations have revealed hypnotizability related asymmetries mainly consisting of pre-eminent left hemisphere information processing/activation in highs, and no asymmetries or opposite directions of them in lows. The described asymmetries are discussed in relation to the current theories of hypnotizability and hypnosis.

To the problem of reduction of dispositional terms of scientific theory

This article examines the problem of reduction of dispositional terms in the scientific theory. Dispositional terms are the predicated, expressing proclivity of the body for having a certain response in particular circumstances. The difference between dispositional predicated and other descriptive terms consists in the fact that for their identification it is essential to know an empirical factor that invokes manifestation of a dispositional trait. Since disposition cannot be observed directly, it requires carrying out an experiment to reveal the needed quality of a subject. It is established that for dispositional predicates, definition should be viewed as a particular case of reduction. Such conclusion is substantiated by the fact that the two-sided reduction sentence represents a special case of a reduction pair of sentences. In constant clarification of the meaning of dispositional term empirically, the set of reference using reduction sentences is more convenient, since it can be augmented with a new sentence that describes the additional verification conditions. Presence in the language of observation of dispositional predicates, which could not be determined in a usual way, and possibility of their reduction underline nonequivalence of the methodological operations of reduction and definition in the substantive scientific theories, which also represents an argument for further research of reduction in natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.

The Structure of Deception: Validation of the Lying Profile Questionnaire

While deception is considered as a common phenomenon with important implications, its conceptualization and study as a dispositional trait is under-represented in the literature. Critically, and despite scientific evidence supporting the existence of individual differences in lying, a validated measure of dispositional deception is still lacking. This study aims to explore the structure of dispositional deception by developing and validating a short and reliable 16-item questionnaire to characterize the lying pattern of individuals. Our findings suggest the existence of four distinct latent dimensions to lying, namely frequency, ability, negativity, and contextuality. We establish the convergent validity of our measure of lying by showing significant relationships with social desirability, malevolent traits, cognitive control deficits, normal and pathological personality traits, as well as demographic variables such as sex, age, and religiosity. Overall, the present study introduces a general framework to understanding deception as a dispositional trait which future deception studies can build on, accounting for the inter-individual variability in lying.

The relationship between mindfulness and objective measures of body awareness: A meta-analysis

Although awareness of bodily sensations is a common mindfulness meditation technique, studies assessing the relationship between mindfulness and body awareness have provided mixed results. The current study sought to meta-analytically examine the relationship between mindfulness operationalized as a dispositional trait or a construct trained through short- (i.e., randomized controlled trials [RCTs]) or long-term mindfulness meditation practice with objective measures of body awareness accuracy. PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Scopus were searched. Studies were eligible if they reported the association between mindfulness and body awareness, were published in English, and included adults. Across 15 studies (17 independent samples), a small effect was found linking mindfulness with greater body awareness accuracy (g = 0.21 [0.08, 0.34], N = 879). When separated by study design, only RCTs continued to show a significant relationship (g = 0.20, [0.02, 0.38], k = 7, n = 505). Heterogeneity of effects was low (I2 < 25%), although with wide confidence intervals. Effects were not moderated by study quality. Low fail-safe N estimates reduce confidence in the observed effects. Results suggest a small but potentially detectable relationship between mindfulness and body awareness accuracy. Future investigations could examine individual differences in body awareness as a mechanism within mindfulness interventions.

Behavioral and Electrophysiological Arguments in Favor of a Relationship between Impulsivity, Risk-Taking, and Success on the Iowa Gambling Task

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between trait impulsivity, risk-taking, and decision-making performance. We recruited 20 healthy participants who performed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART) to measure decision-making and risk-taking. The impulsivity was measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Resting-state neural activity was recorded to explore whether brain oscillatory rhythms provide important information about the dispositional trait of impulsivity. We found a significant correlation between the ability to develop a successful strategy and the propensity to take more risks in the first trials of the BART. Risk-taking was negatively correlated with cognitive impulsivity in participants who were unable to develop a successful strategy. Neither risk-taking nor decision-making was correlated with cortical asymmetry. In a more exploratory approach, the group was sub-divided in function of participants’ performances at the IGT. We found that the group who developed a successful strategy at the IGT was more prone to risk, whereas the group who failed showed a greater cognitive impulsivity. These results emphasize the need for individuals to explore their environment to develop a successful strategy in uncertain situations, which may not be possible without taking risks.