The aim of the present study was to assess empathic accuracy (EA), emotion recognition, and affective
empathy in male adolescents
with Conduct Disorder (CD) and higher versus
lower levels of callous - unemotional (CU) traits, using a more ecologically - valid task
than has been used previously.
Indeed, we acknowledge that the present findings may be considered surprising given previous work showing that
empathy deficits are more pronounced in those
with CD and elevated CU traits
than those
with lower levels of CU traits (Jones et al. 2010; Schwenck et al. 2012) and theories predicting that affective
empathy deficits are uniquely related to CU traits (Blair 2005, 2013).
The main results can be summarized as follows: (1) Synchrony during early mother - child interactions has neurophysiological correlates [85] as evidenced though the study of vagal tone [78], cortisol
levels [80], and skin conductance [79]; (2) Synchrony impacts infant's cognitive processing [64], school adjustment [86], learning of word - object relations [87], naming of object wholes more
than object parts [88]; and IQ [67], [89]; (3) Synchrony is correlated
with and / or predicts better adaptation overall (e.g., the capacity for
empathy in adolescence [89]; symbolic play and internal state speech [77]; the relation between mind - related comments and attachment security [90], [91]; and mutual initiation and mutual compliance [74], [92]-RRB-; (3) Lack of synchrony is related to at risk individuals and / or temperamental difficulties such as home observation in identifying problem dyads [93], as well as mother - reported internalizing behaviors [94]; (4) Synchrony has been observable within several behavioral or sensorial modalities: smile strength and eye constriction [52]; tonal and temporal analysis of vocal interactions [95](although, the association between vocal interactions and synchrony differs between immigrant (
lower synchrony) and non-immigrant groups [84]-RRB-; mutual gaze [96]; and coordinated movements [37]; (5) Each partner (including the infant) appears to play a role in restoring synchrony during interactions: children have coping behaviors for repairing interactive mismatches [97]; and infants are able to communicate intent and to respond to the intent expressed by the mother at the age of 2 months [98].