Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Apr:20:11-16.
doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.07.037. Epub 2017 Aug 5.

Callous-unemotional behaviors in early childhood: the development of empathy and prosociality gone awry

Affiliations
Review

Callous-unemotional behaviors in early childhood: the development of empathy and prosociality gone awry

Rebecca Waller et al. Curr Opin Psychol. 2018 Apr.

Abstract

Callous-unemotional (CU) behaviors are critical to understanding the development of severe forms of aggression and antisocial behavior. CU behaviors include deficits in empathy and prosocial behavior, as well as reduced interpersonal responsivity to others. We review recent research examining CU behaviors in early childhood and the role that parents play in the development of early CU behaviors. We integrate research on the development of empathy and prosociality with that of CU behaviors to propose a developmental model of early CU behaviors that considers person-by-context interactions.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Hoffman ML. Empathy and prosocial behavior. In: Lewis M, Haviland-Jones JM, Feldman Barrett L, editors. Handbook of Emotions. Guildford Press; 2010. pp. 440–455.
    1. Zahn-Waxler C, Radke-Yarrow M, Wagner E, Chapman M. Development of concern for others. Developmental Psychology. 1992;28:126–136. Using observational paradigms, this study showed that children’s propensity to help, share, and provide comfort to mothers and unfamiliar persons emerges by age 2.
    1. Brownell CA. Early development of prosocial behavior: Current perspectives. Infancy. 2013;18:1–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Warneken F, Tomasello M. Altruistic helping in human infants and young chimpanzees. Science. 2006;311:1301–1303. This experimental study established that 18-month children are capable of enacting instrumental helping behaviors towards an unfamiliar adult, with some comparable behaviors shown in 3-year old chimpanzees. - PubMed
    1. Frick PJ, Ray JV, Thornton LC, Kahn RE. Annual Research Review: A developmental psychopathology approach to understanding callous-unemotional traits in children and adolescents with serious conduct problems. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2014;55:532–548. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the literature examining callous-unemotional traits in older children and adolescents, including measurement, meaning, predictive validity, and risk factors. - PubMed

Publication types