THE RELATIONS OF CHILDRENS SITUATIONAL EMPATHY-RELATED EMOTIONS TO DISPOSITIONAL PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR

Although empathy-related responding has frequently been associated wit h prosocial behaviour directed towards the target of an individual's v icarious emotional responding, relations between dispositional prosoci al behaviour and sympathy or personal distress have seldom been examin ed, particularly with a multimethod approach, Kindergarten to third-gr aders' empathy-related responses to a film were examined as predictors of dispositional prosocial behaviour as reported by teachers, parents , and peers. Teachers' ratings of dispositional behaviour were related to children's facial and skin conductance reactions to the film. Pare nts' and peers' ratings of dispositional prosocial behaviour were infr equently associated with children's empathy-related responding, althou gh peer reports were positively related to heart rate acceleration for boys. Reasons for the differential patterns of relations for differen t reporters are considered.