Socialization of prosocial behavior: Gender differences in the mediating role of child brain volume

Evidence has been accumulating for the impact of normal variation in caregiving quality on brain morphology in children, but the question remains whether differences in brain volume related to early caregiving translate to behavioral implications. In this longitudinal population-based study (N = 162), moderated mediation was tested for the relation between parental sensitivity and child prosocial behavior via brain volume, in boys and girls. Both maternal and paternal sensitivity were repeatedly observed between 1 and 4 years of age. Brain volume was assessed using magnetic resonance imaging measurements at age 8, and self-reported prosocial behavior of children was assessed at 9 years of age. Parental sensitivity was positively related to child brain volume, and to child prosocial behavior at trend level. Child brain volume was negatively related to child prosocial behavior. A significant gender-by-brain interaction was found, illustrating that daughters of sensitive parents were more prosocial and that less prosocial behavior was reported for girls with a larger total brain volume. Child gender significantly moderated the indirect effect of parental sensitivity on prosocial behavior via total brain volume. A significant indirect pathway was found only in girls. The results warrant replication but indicate the importance of considering gender when studying the behavioral implications of differences in brain volume related to early caregiving experiences.     

The flexible nature of everyday reciprocity: reciprocity,helping, and relationship closeness

Motivation and Emotion - Past research on gratitude assumes that norms of reciprocity are incompatible with personal relationships as they are based on the rigid normative expectations...     

Audio-Visual Interactions during Emotion Processing in Bicultural Bilinguals

Motivation and Emotion - Despite the growing number of bicultural bilinguals in the world, the way in which multisensory emotions are evaluated by bilinguals who identify with two or more cultures...     

A Learning Theory Approach to Attachment Theory: Exploring Clinical Applications

Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review - Although clinicians typically acknowledge the importance of insecure attachment as one factor that can contribute to children’s psychopathology,...     

Study of empathy in a Spanish sex offender sample

International research has emphasised that empathy is a relevant factor of sex offending. The main goal of this study is to explore, in a Spanish sex offender sample, the relationship between empathy deficits and sex crime for various types of victims. This study also analyses the positive effect that psychological treatment could have on empathy. For this purpose, 118 non-sex offenders were compared on an adapted version of Rape Empathy Measure to 39 treated rapists and 34 untreated rapists. Results show that the untreated rapists have lower empathy levels than non-sex offenders. Nevertheless, the treated rapists scored higher on empathy than the other two groups assessed, untreated rapists and non-sex offenders. Lastly, some suggestions are provided for future research in terms of the assessment of empathy and other factors related to sexual aggression.     

Cross-Cultural Patterns of Student Victimization in Israel and Chile

School violence is a global concern that calls for international research using cross context methods. Although there are several international surveys that compare school violence across countries, they do not clearly address issues of similarities and differences in relative prevalence of different types of victimization and their relations with age, sex, and cultural group. We explored these questions among Israeli-Arab (n?=?13,606), Israeli-Jewish (n?=?10,637), and Chilean students in poor schools in a large Chilean city (n?=?4557), using the same self-report questionnaire that measures verbal-social victimization, victimization by threats, physical victimization, and sexual harassment. As hypothesized, we found similarities in the patterns of relative prevalence of victimization types, as well as study group, sex, and age main effects and interactions. These effects were evident even when the lowest third SES group in Israel was compared with the Chilean students. These findings suggest group differences in prevalence of student victimization, and at the same time cultural invariance in relative prevalence of victimization types and their relations with sex and age. We discuss the need for more international comparative research in this field that takes into account cultural values and the structure and organizations of schools within the different educational systems.     

Risky sexual behaviors in immigrant adolescent girls from the former Soviet Union: Role of natal and host culture

In recent years, schools have been increasingly involved in youth's health-related behavior, particularly risky health behaviors (e.g., HIV/AIDS and pregnancy prevention programs). This study examined how acculturation processes among adolescent girls who are recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) affect their practices of risky sexual behavior (RSB), defined as behavior that leads to increased risk for unplanned pregnancy or HIV infection. The study used an ecological perspective to understand how families and peers play a pivotal role in these acculturation processes. The results highlight the protective role of natal culture for RSB for this group of recent immigrants. The study also indicates that a higher level of acculturation to American culture is related to increased RSB in these recent immigrants. Thus, the study challenges the notion that biculturalism is always advantageous. School-based and after-school activities that incorporated Russian culture were found to play a protective role. The intergenerational discrepancies between adolescent girls and their parents and between peers and parents were predictive of RSB. Practical implications for practice of school professionals are discussed.