Psychological Development and Education ›› 2021, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (1): 1-9.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2021.01.01

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Difference between Cognitive Empathy and Affective Empathy in Development: Meta-analysis Preliminary Exploration

YAN Zhiqiang1,2, SU Yanjie1,2   

  1. 1. School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing 100871;
    2. Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871
  • Published:2021-01-22

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Abstract: Empathy consists of cognitive empathy and affective empathy. The model of lifespan development of empathy suggests that the development of two components may show different characteristics. Thus, the current research employed a meta-analysis to investigate the characteristics in question. Through literature retrieval, 136 studies and 178 independent effect sizes met the inclusion criteria, with a total of 50606 participants. Funnel plotting, Egger's intercept test, and trim-and-fill test showed no publication bias, and heterogeneity test indicated that a random effects model was appropriate for the meta-analysis. Random effects modelling demonstrated that cognitive empathy was significantly stronger than affective empathy (Z=5.39, p<0.001). A moderator analysis revealed that age moderated the difference (Qb=73.99,p<0.001). Specifically, affective empathy was the primary component in preschool, cognitive empathy in middle childhood through emerging adulthood, affective empathy again in middle and late adulthood, and puberty saw the strongest difference between cognitive empathy and affective empathy.

Key words: empathy, cognitive empathy, affective empathy, meta-analysis, development

CLC Number: 

  • B844
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