Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jan:3:22-32.
doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2012.08.001. Epub 2012 Aug 29.

Age-related sex differences in explicit measures of empathy do not predict brain responses across childhood and adolescence

Kalina J Michalska  1 , Katherine D Kinzler, Jean Decety
Affiliations

Age-related sex differences in explicit measures of empathy do not predict brain responses across childhood and adolescence

Kalina J Michalska et al. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Behavioral research indicates that human females are more empathic than males, a disparity that widens from childhood to adulthood. Nevertheless, the extent to which such sex differences are an artifact of self-report indices is unclear. The present study compared age-related sex differences in both self-report and neurophysiological measures of empathic arousal, a primary building block of empathy. Participants included sixty-five 4-17-year-old children (mean 11.5±3.5 years) who completed the Bryant Empathy Scale, and were scanned while viewing animated clips depicting people being hurt. Female participants scored higher than males on self-reported dispositional empathy, a difference that increased with age. In contrast, no sex-related differential changes were detected in hemodynamic responses or in pupil dilation, with no interaction between sex and age. Results suggest a dissociation between explicit ratings and neurophysiological measures of empathic arousal. Past observed sex differences in empathy may reflect females' greater willingness to report empathic experiences. Findings are also discussed in terms of discrepancies in the methods used to assess affective responding and how they relate to the multi-faceted construct of empathy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Male and female ratings on the Bryant Empathy Scale empathic sadness subscale across age.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Male and female parameter estimates across age for the right insula when viewing painful scenarios vs. everyday actions. The surface-rendered image was created using CARET software and population-average, landmark-, surface-based atlases (Van Essen, 2005). Females: n=30; males: n=35.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Akitsuki Y., Decety J. Social context and perceived agency modulate brain activity in the neural circuits underpinning empathy for pain: an event-related fMRI study. NeuroImage. 2009;47:722–734. - PubMed
    1. Andersen, S., Ertac, S., Gneezy, U., Liszt, J.A., Maximiano, S., 2012. Gender, competitiveness and socialization at a young age: evidence from a matrilineal and a patriarchal society. Review of Economics and Statistics, Epub ahead of print.
    1. Bandstra N.F., Chambers C.T., McGrath P.J., Moore C. The behavioural expression of empathy to others’ pain versus others’ sadness in young children. Pain. 2011;152:1074–1182. - PubMed
    1. Baron-Cohen S., Wheelright S., Hill J., Raste Y., Plumb I. The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test revised version: a study with normal adults and adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2001;42:241–251. - PubMed
    1. Baron-Cohen S., Wheelwright S. The empathy quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2004;34:163–175. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources