The Role of Empathic Accuracy in Adolescents' Peer Relations and Adjustment
Abstract
This study investigated whether children's empathic accuracy is associated with their peer relationships and adjustment. It also examined whether, and how, empathic accuracy moderated the known influence of peer relations on adjustment. Participants were 116 (58 boys) fifth-through eighth-graders. At school, child participants completed measures assessing their peer relationships. In the lab, child participants completed a performance-based measure of empathic accuracy and measures of adjustment. Teachers and parents also provided assessments. Results revealed that children who were less adept at inferring other people's thoughts and feelings were more likely to experience adjustment problems. Empathic accuracy acted as a buffer against adjustment problems when peer relationships were poor: Previously found links between poor peer relationships and poor adjustment were found for adolescents with low empathic accuracy but not for those with high empathic accuracy.
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Consensus measures of EA like the one used here can predict social functioning in typically developing individuals.
“In behavioral research, consensus measures of EA like the one used here already have proven to be powerful measures of social function: they can predict social functioning in typically developing individuals (44) and distinguish them from perceivers with psychological disorders characterized by social impairments, such as ASD (41).”
From The neural bases of empathic accuracy (2009) · cites this paper as [44]
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The neural bases of empathic accuracy
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Gleason, K. A., Jensen-Campbell, L. A., & Ickes, W.
- Affiliations
- The University of Texas at Arlington (US)
- University of Texas at Arlington
- Corresponding author
- Gleason, Katie A.
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2009-06-04
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 997-1011
- ISSN
- 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7433
- OpenAlex
- W2092853975
- Cited by
- 180
- References
- 68
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 53 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 11.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
- Keywords
- empathic accuracy, peer relationships, adolescent adjustment, social adjustment problems, theory of mind, mentalization, moderation, junior high school students, peer rejection
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Psychology, Adolescent, Child, Empathy, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Peer Group, Personality Assessment, Psychological Theory, Social Adjustment, Sociometric Techniques, Personal Construct Theory, Crime Victims, Self Efficacy, Friends
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