As noted above, negative feelings play important roles in impulse control, empathy, and conscience.
Lower levels of empathy may contribute to conflict in social interactions and thereby heighten levels of negative emotions experienced by some children.
The developmental literature points to at least 6 levels of empathy emerging in succession, each expanding and adding to the repertoire of empathic potential.
The major focus of the 24- and 36-month visits is on parenting and toddler self-regulation (behavior problems, empathy, compliance, and internalization of parental rules).
Examples include empathy, flexibility, sensitivity and courage, precise qualities varying according to the individual.
Developing representations of possibilities for prosocial actions are also important in developing outcomes for empathy and guilt.
Moreover, peer play forces children to reason about others' feelings, possibly serving as a unique mechanism for empathy development.
In the present study we assess the third component, empathy, by children's self-repor ts of affective response to social stimuli.
