Impact of older siblings’ cognitive sensitivity on children’s empathy development

Sibling relationships provide an important context for both positive and negative socialization in childhood. Although there is extensive anecdotal and scientific evidence which demonstrates that older siblings influence their younger siblings’ social development, I intend to specifically address the gap in the literature about how older siblings might promote empathy development in younger siblings. My research question is: how do cognitively sensitive siblings foster the development of their younger siblings’ empathy?
For my proposed study I will use data from a large longitudinal study previously conducted in Dr. Jenkins’ lab. I will analyze the data on the youngest child in the family (i.e. target child). To explore my research question, I will conduct hierarchical regression analyses to examine the relationship between older sibling cognitive sensitivity and their younger siblings’ empathy.
Expected outcomes include a positive correlation between older siblings’ cognitive sensitivity and younger siblings’ empathy.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jennifer Jenkins

Student:

Partner:

Zhejiang University

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Toronto

Program: