Abstract
Ninety-four first graders were given measures of parental identification, gender consistency, and empathy early in the school year and six months later. The results suggest that the capacity for empathy in children is related to identification with their mothers.
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Thanks are due to the staff and students of the Indooroopilly and Kenmore Catholic Schools for their fine cooperation. This paper was prepared in part with support from the Australian Research Grants Scheme and the University Research Grants Committee of the University of Queensland.
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Siegal, M. Mother-child relations and the development of empathy: A short-term longitudinal study. Child Psych Hum Dev 16, 77–86 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00705942
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00705942