Children’s mu suppression is sensitive to witnessing others’ social victimization

Keywords

Empathy; mu suppression; social victimization

Abstract

Empathy has been a key focus of social, developmental, and affective neuroscience for some time. However, research using neural measures to study empathy in response to social victimization is sparse, particularly for young children. In the present study, 58 children’s (White, non-Hispanic; five to nine years old) mu suppression was measured using electroencephalogram methods (EEG) as they viewed video scenarios depicting social injustices toward White and Black children. We found evidence of increased mu suppression in response to social victimization; however, contrary to well-documented findings of ingroup racial bias in empathic responses among adults, we found no evidence of racial bias in mu suppression in young children. Implications of these findings for neuroscience research on empathy and the development of ingroup bias are discussed.

Original Publication Citation

Fraser, A.M.,Hampton, R., Spinrad, T.L., Varnum, M., Blaise, M., Eisenberg, N., Gal, D.,Berger, R.H., Xu, J., & Xiao, S.X. (2020). Children’s mu suppression is sensitive to witnessing others’ social victimization. Social Neuroscience, 1-7. IF2.74

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2020

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/8379

Publisher

Social Neuroscience

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Assistant Professor

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