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Abstract

48 white first grade boys were told the beginning of a cartoon story in which the hero buys a pair of magic glasses with which he can see the invisible Schufloss. One third of the Ss then finished the story when the hero was depicted as feeling either Happy, Fearful, or Neutral. Ss were extremely accurate in identifying the hero's emotional state indicating Ss' social insight. Next Ss were told they could put on a pair of magic glasses and go into a magic forest if they wished to look for the Schufloss. Ss under both emotional conditions reported feeling similar to the hero, suggesring an empathetic response. Finally, the perception of emotion and/or the empathetic response had a significant effect on Ss' subsequent behavior—willingness to enter the forest.

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Children's Perception of Emotion and Empathic Responses

Abstract

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