Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Examining The Connection Between Sibling Relationships And Empathy Development, Alicia Joswiak

Research and Scholarship Symposium Posters

Humans are social beings who shape their lives through relationships. The ability to understand the mental status of others, or empathy, is a critical determinant to successful social relationships. Few studies have explored how older siblings influence the development of empathy in younger siblings. The current study examined an aspect of positive sibling relationships to understand what interactions and/or behaviors between siblings foster empathy development. The primary hypothesis was that a positive correlation exists between physical affection among siblings and empathy development in the youngest sibling. This study included 100 adult participants who are the youngest sibling. An online survey …