Right DLPFC stimulation reveals context-dependent regulation of competing motives in third-party fairness decisions.

Encouraging children's sympathy (i.e., concern for others) across an array of social contexts is important for strengthening their prosocial responses to conflict and reducing aggression. We examined Canadian children's (6, 9, and 12 years; N = 186; 50% girls and 50% boys) situational sympathetic responding following harm to victims, and how sympathy across contexts was linked to their aggressive behaviors (beyond dispositional sympathy). Children's situational sympathy (sadness supported by moral reasoning) was measured in response to (un)provoked harm to hypothetical peers in vignettes. Parents reported on children's proactive and reactive aggression. We also measured children's dispositional sympathy via child- and parent-reports. Results showed that children felt stronger situational sympathy for victims of unprovoked harm than provoked harm, and only sympathy following unprovoked harm showed age-related increases. Above and beyond dispositional sympathy, lower situational sympathy in response to provoked harm was associated with higher reactive aggression. These findings demonstrate that children's sympathy is dampened by a victim's prior negative behavior - an emotional blunting effect that may have implications for their own retaliatory behavior.

The primary aim of this study was to provide additional validation for a brief version of the well-documented Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS-7) in an American sample. This study sought to determine if there is a significant association with the strength of one's admiration for a favorite celebrity and (1) a pathological concern for the needs of others (2) symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, (3) and adverse childhood experiences. The CAS-7, the Pathological Concern Questionnaire (PCQ), the Depression, Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-9), and the Revised Adverse Childhood Experiences scale (R-ACE) were administered to 367 undergraduate students (80.66% women, Mage = 20.26 years, SD = 3.63) from four American institutions. Zero-order correlations indicated that psychological distress and pathological concern were positively associated with both healthy and unhealthy dimensions of celebrity worship. In the path model, psychological distress showed a robust positive association with intense-pathological celebrity worship. Adverse childhood experiences displayed opposing conditional pathways-a small, positive, indirect association via psychological distress and a weak, negative, direct association with intense-pathological celebrity worship-implying a heterogeneous pattern of associations. The findings also provide further support for the validity of the CAS-7 in an American sample.

ABSTRACT The increasing need for accountability in research funding and the professionalisation of research management have led to the rise of Research Managers and Administrators (RMAs). However, their importance is often overlooked, and there is a lack of understanding regarding their personal values and personality. This study addresses this gap by examining the values and traits of RMAs using Schwartz's universal values framework and the Big Five personality model. A survey questionnaire was used to collect empirical data from 1,095 RMAs. RMAs prioritise values associated with self-transcendence, such as benevolence, concern for others, and tolerance, while placing less importance on values related to power, tradition and personal gain. They demonstrate high levels of conscientiousness, openness to experience, and agreeableness, with lower levels of extraversion and neuroticism. This study contributes to a better understanding of the RMA profession, providing insights that can be used to support professional development and improve performance.

Concern for others' perceptions of fairness reduces variety-seeking behavior when choosing for multiple others

Little research on interventions for people over 75 and residing in assisted living communities has been conducted. In this pilot study, the first author administered a sociometric test measuring friendliness, sociability, and concern for others, along with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), to evaluate the effects of a 4-month sociometric intervention period. The first author designed the sociometric interventions used during the 4-month period to increase self-disclosure and enhance mutual interpersonal sharing among participants. BDI scores were significantly lowered, and participants mutually selected one another significantly more at posttest. Also, at posttest, significantly more participants selected themselves as being sociable and concerned. The authors found a significant relationship between decreased depression scores and increased mutual scores, which supported existing research.

This study stems from the growing phenomenon of declining politeness among adolescents, a lack of empathy, weak social responsibility, and a deterioration of moral attitudes. It seeks to explore how moral education provided in Islamic boarding schools influences students' ability to socialise and interact within the community. This study focuses on moral education in Islamic boarding schools in shaping the social character of adolescents at Nahrul Ulum Al Banihawy Islamic boarding school, Subang Regency, West Java, Indonesia. The purpose of this study is to describe how moral education in Islamic boarding schools contributes to the development of adolescents' social character within society. Moral education in Islamic boarding schools not only shapes adolescents' character but also involves the process of habituating students' behaviour. This study employs a qualitative research method using a phenomenological approach, aiming to explore the phenomenon deeply and naturally. Data collection techniques include open interviews, observation, and documentation. The interviews were conducted with the administrators (kyai), teachers (ustadz/ustadzah), and students (santri). Observations were carried out on all 40 students, ranging in age from 13 to 20 years old. Documentation was conducted throughout the research process. The results of the study indicate that the formation of social character is carried out through three main indicators: 1) the personal dimension emphasises the habituation of honest, disciplined, and responsible behavior through routine activities; 2) the social dimension is reflected in attitudes of empathy, cooperation, and concern for others; and 3) the spiritual dimension is developed through the practice of worship, the study of classical Islamic texts (kitab kuning), dzikr, and other religious activities that foster students closeness to Allah Swt. These three indicators are implemented through exemplary behaviour, habituation, and discipline. The originality of this study lies in its unique context, focusing on a newly established Islamic boarding school with only 40 students and one graduating cohort. This setting provides an authentic view of the early stages of character and social skills formation in a developing Islamic Boarding Schools environment.

In the face of advancing globalisation processes and intensified contacts between representatives of different cultures and religions, interreligious dialogue is becoming an important component of contemporary social coexistence. This article aims to establish a relationship between interpersonal skills, moral intelligence, and readiness to engage in interreligious dialogue among adult Poles. A total of 519 people aged 18 to 75 (M = 48.44; SD = 15.55) were surveyed. This study used the Readiness to Engage in Interreligious Dialogue Scale (TGDMVE), the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (ICQ-R) and the Moral Intelligence Quotient (MIQ). The results of the analyses indicated that, in terms of interpersonal competence, the strongest significant predictor of all five dimensions of readiness to engage in interreligious dialogue was active concern for others. In terms of moral intelligence, it was the ability to recognise spiritual needs. The results may have significant practical implications for the areas of intercultural education, the prevention of xenophobic attitudes, and the building of social capital based on dialogue, trust, and respect.

Organisations’ conscientious activities and their members’ knowledge management endeavours reflect the value of knowledge in meeting organisational goals. This research aimed to determine the effect of workplace belongingness, horizontal solidarity, and concern for others on knowledge-sharing behaviour among university academics and whether the effect is moderated by self-efficacy in knowledge-sharing. In this investigation, a quantitative methodology and a cross-sectional design were implemented, using a self-administered survey to collect data from 324 university academics. The questionnaire was prepared using a five-point scale. Participants comprised 38% women, 86% married and a mean age of 39.34 years (SD = 7.87). A regression statistical test, accompanied by Hayes’ PROCESS Micro, was adopted for analysis. The analyses revealed workplace belongingness, horizontal solidarity, and concern for others as positive predictors of knowledge-sharing behaviours among university academics and that knowledge-sharing self-efficacy was not a moderator in the relationships. This study also found that changes in the three independent factors accounted for 29% of the variance in knowledge-sharing behaviour. Workplace belongingness explained the greatest fluctuation in knowledge-sharing behaviour between predictor factors. Taking into account the predictor variables of this study, interventions are recommended to encourage knowledge-sharing behaviour among university academics.

The principle of impartial beneficence (IB) holds that we should strive to maximize others' well-being regardless of their relationship to us. But does endorsement of IB in principle translate to more uniform concern for others irrespective of relationship type? Three pre-registered studies in online samples of U.S. participants (total N=1,716) found IB endorsement predicts greater and more uniform concern for others across social relationships varying in social distance: in care prescriptions (Study 1), as well as blame judgments (Study 2) and guilt expressions (Study 3) when care norms are violated or care is not provided. Heightened concern for others in socially distant relationships was not "offset" by less concern for those in close ones. IB was not associated with a motive to be generally admired, but was linked to a motive to form communal relationships. Across different types of moral judgments, a commitment to IB thus entails caring much more than average about the well-being of socially distant others, while maintaining a high level of concern for socially close ones.

Women often score higher on average than men on self-report measures of empathy. However, self-report estimates of empathic tendencies and other attributes could be susceptible to a range of biases. For instance, participants might respond in a manner that is socially desirable and aligns with gender stereotypes about empathic abilities. We examined whether gender differences in self-reported empathy were affected by a) manipulating task instructions or b) priming with fictive narratives describing gender differences as either fixed or malleable. In Study 1, participants (N = 154) completed questionnaire measures of empathy, social desirability and acceptance of stereotyping. Contrary to our prediction, gender differences in self-reported empathy were not larger when participants were told that we were measuring ‘empathy’. However, in both genders, average scores were higher for empathic concern in the ‘empathy’ condition than in the control condition, which suggests that describing the task as measuring empathy encouraged both male and female participants to present themselves as showing concern for others. Also, participants who scored higher on social desirability scored higher on empathic concern, suggesting a link between motivation to conform to social expectations and self-reported affective empathy. In Study 2, participants (N = 155) completed questionnaire measures of empathy, personality and gender essentialism. Gender differences in self-reported empathy were not larger in the condition that primed gender essentialism. However, women who scored high on empathic concern were more likely to align themselves with feminine adjectives, suggesting a link between self-reported consideration for others and feminine attributes. In both studies, on average, women scored significantly higher than men on self-reported empathic tendencies. Although the experimental manipulations did not impact empathy scores in either study, self-reported empathy appears to be related to social desirability and broader social attitudes, which suggests that a range of cultural and social factors might contribute to gender differences in empathy.

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is being increasingly adopted across organisations, where its integration into work has been shown to significantly enhance efficiency and productivity. However, GenAI's use introduces greater uncertainty about the reliability and quality of work. This uncertainty, combined with potential changes in social interaction as an outcome of GenAI use, may directly impact interpersonal relationships, especially trust, among employees. Yet, remarkably few studies explore GenAI’s impact on interpersonal relationships within organisations. This study, therefore, seeks to explore the impact of GenAI on interpersonal trust in organisations that have integrated GenAI to assist in the conduct of work, referred to here as GenAI-augmented organisations. In this study, we apply the organisational trust model, defining trust as the willingness to be vulnerable in response to perceived trustworthiness based on evaluated ability (skills and competencies), integrity (adherence to shared values and norms) and benevolence (concern for others). We explore how this response evolves in the context of GenAI use. We conducted nine qualitative semi-structured interviews in April-May 2025 with managers from knowledge-intensive, GenAI-augmented organisations. Our findings suggest that in GenAI-augmented organisations, managers tend to place greater trust in employees demonstrating ability requiring higher cognitive effort, such as critical GenAI use, asking questions, understanding, and explaining GenAI outputs. Integrity, described through the manner of GenAI use, particularly by demonstrating responsibility, maintaining transparency, providing evidence, and aligning with organisational policies, is also critical for developing interpersonal trust. Moreover, uncritical GenAI use that may burden others with more work can lead to a reduction in trust. In response to uncertainty, managers often increase supervision; however, this is not necessarily a sign of distrust but a strategy to manage uncertainty. To our knowledge, our study is one of few qualitative studies exploring GenAI use in organisations. It provides a novel perspective that connects GenAI and interpersonal relationships. The findings have implications for management practices, organisational culture, and aligning GenAI to enhance trust and collaboration within organisations.

Universalism, as defined in Schwartz’s theory of basic human values, reflects a motivational orientation toward understanding, appreciation, and protection of all people and nature. This study examines the psychological foundations of ethical concern and ecological sensitivity among university students, focusing on the role of transcendence strengths. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed and a total of 1240 students from five Spanish universities participated in the study, completing validated instruments designed to assess both transcendence strengths—spirituality, gratitude, hope/optimism, humor, and appreciation of beauty—and universalism. Stepwise regression analysis identified four strengths—gratitude, appreciation of beauty, hope/optimism, and spirituality—as significant predictors of ethical concern for others and nature, explaining 20.1% of the variance. These findings contribute to the growing body of research linking positive psychological traits with ethical engagement and environmental responsibility. They also suggest that fostering transcendence-related strengths in educational settings may enhance students’ capacity for global empathy and moral development. Moreover, rather than functioning in isolation, spirituality interacts dynamically with other transcendence strengths. The study highlights the importance of integrating transcendental dimensions into sustainability discourse. Future research should explore these relationships across cultures and developmental stages to inform policy and educational practice.

IntroductionAlthough humility is a key leadership trait linked to collaboration and trust, current residency application processes lack methods to identify it. By examining whether themes of humility appear in the Standardized Letters of Evaluation (SLOE) of medical students who later became emergency medicine (EM) chief residents, we sought to determine the presence of humility-related traits in SLOEs and explore their potential to inform the identification of applicants with leadership potential during residency selection.MethodsTwo independent reviewers examined 104 SLOEs (52 chief, 52 non-chief) from 2015–2021, representing 43 students (21 who later assumed chief resident positions and 22 who did not) between 2018–2024 at a single academic EM residency program. A third reviewer resolved all coding disagreements. Reviewers deductively analyzed all written comments, targeting elements associated with humility as conceptualized by Tangney (2000) and Gruppen (2015). A SLOE was categorized as containing elements of humility if at least one clearly defined construct (such as openness to feedback, recognition of limitations, or concern for others) was identified. Sections of the data displaying the most convergence of humility elements underwent open coding, revealing emerging themes.ResultsNineteen of 21 (90.5%) chief residents had letters encompassing elements of humility compared to only 10 of 22 (45.5%) non-chief residents (P < .01). Openness was the most prominent element noted, followed by the need to make changes in performance, concern for others, and confidence. Further analysis of comments that highlighted humility uncovered several other themes including commitment and advocacy, eagerness to learn and improve, and maturity and responsibility.ConclusionThis study highlights specific humility-related traits noted in the Standard Letters of Evaluation of fourth-year medical students who later became chief residents in emergency medicine, offering preliminary insights into how qualitative evaluation tools may capture characteristics associated with future leadership roles.

Utilitarian ethical theories argue that the morality of actions depends on their consequences for impartially maximizing overall welfare. Recent research suggests that individual differences in utilitarian tendencies fall along two dimensions: a permissive attitude toward harming others for greater good (instrumental harm [IH]) and an impartial concern for others' welfare (impartial beneficence [IB]). We hypothesize that these dimensions operate as intuitive theories in the moral domain, framing distinctive patterns of moral judgments and behavior. Using intersubject representational similarity analysis of behavioral data (N = 254), we found that when participants shared endorsement of instrumental harm or impartial beneficence, they showed similar patterns of moral judgment and decision making. Intersubject representational similarity analysis of functional neuroimaging data (N = 68) revealed that participants with similar endorsement of instrumental harm or impartial beneficence showed similar neural encoding of moral choice attributes, even when they made different choices. Meanwhile, participants with dissimilar endorsement of these dimensions showed distinctive neural encoding of moral choice attributes, even when they made similar choices. These similarity and dissimilarity patterns emerged in distinct brain regions for instrumental harm and impartial beneficence. Together, our findings suggest that instrumental harm and impartial beneficence distinctively frame cognitive representations of moral decision problems, over and above guiding judgments and decisions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Compassionately reactive: Personality profiles of speech-language pathologists and their professional trajectories.

ABSTRACT This study investigates the changes in empathy and multicultural competence in elementary school students after participating in a multicultural education program emphasising empathy as a central theme. Initial interviews and questionnaires were conducted in a fourth-grade public elementary school class in Taiwan to gauge student understanding of empathy and multiculturalism. Subsequently, a multicultural education curriculum focusing on cognitive, moral and behavioural empathy was designed and implemented. Qualitative research methods were employed to investigate the impact of the program on students’ empathy and multicultural competence. Results revealed that, after implementation of the program, students demonstrated enhanced cognitive empathy. Their behavioural empathy shifted from comforting individuals to taking constructive actions. Moral empathy remained unchanged as the students continued to exhibit concern for others’ well-being. In terms of multicultural competence, students exhibited a broader range of concerns and a heightened sensitivity and deepened understanding of diverse issues. Additionally, students were able to articulate their understanding of different cultures in a more precise and explicit manner. Furthermore, they expressed increased concern about multicultural issues and issues of equity and inclusion. This study also included reflections on the overall activities and research findings, along with relevant recommendations for future researchers.

The purpose of this research was 1) to study the ethical leadership characteristics of the administrators at Mahidol University, 2) to examine the ethical organizational climate at Mahidol University, and 3) to explore the influence of ethical leadership on the ethical organizational climate at Mahidol University, and 4) to propose strategies for developing ethical leadership among administrators at Mahidol University that can positively impact ethical organizational climate and its practical implementation. A mixed methods approach was employed by utilizing both questionnaires and interviews as research instruments. The sample consisted of 400 support staff at Mahidol University, who were recruited through a multi-stage sampling technique. Additionally, five administrators, deputy administrators, and unit heads were recruited using snowball sampling to provide recommendations for the proposed strategies. Data were analyzed using percentages, means, standard deviations, confirmatory factor analysis, and content analysis for qualitative data. The research revealed that the ethical leadership characteristics of administrators at Mahidol University encompassed six factors: responsibility, trustworthiness, respect, fairness, good citizenship, and supportiveness. The ethical organizational climate at Mahidol University, on the other hand, comprised five factors: results orientation, rule orientation, legal and professional ethics, concern for others, and self-orientation. Moreover, ethical leadership showed that the strongest direct positive influence on the dimensions of ethical organizational climate was supportiveness and fairness. This was followed by trustworthiness, responsibility, good citizenship, and respect. The proposed strategies for developing ethical leadership included administrators serving as role models by practicing ethical behavior, making fair decisions, communicating organizational governance principles, establishing ethical standards, and ensuring equal treatment and consideration for individuals. These strategies aligned with utilitarian theory, which emphasized maximizing the overall happiness and well-being of individuals as the criterion for judging right and wrong actions.

The cultivation of ethics, social interaction, and care is a fundamental aspect of shaping the character of church youth to live according to Christian values. The youth of GKSI Sion face various modern challenges, such as individualism, a lack of social concern, and declining quality of relationships among congregation members. This article highlights the importance of an inclusive community as an effective framework for character formation, based on the biblical principle in Philippians 2:3–4, which emphasizes humility, selflessness, and prioritizing the interests of others. Through theological and practical approaches, this formation aims to nurture ethics grounded in love, strengthen healthy social interaction, and foster genuine concern for others. The method employed includes literature study, theological reflection, and contextual analysis of the local congregation. Findings indicate that youth nurtured within an inclusive community demonstrate increased empathy, greater involvement in ministry, and stronger social solidarity. The inclusive community not only functions as a learning space but also as a setting for building a firm faith identity relevant to contemporary challenges. Thus, youth formation through this approach may serve as an applicable model for other churches in strengthening the role of young people as agents of social and spiritual transformation. In conclusion, the integration of Philippians 2:3–4 values into inclusive community formation plays a vital role in raising a church generation that is ethical, socially engaged, and genuinely caring toward others.

Unaddressed behavioral problems in early childhood often persist into later life stages. This study aimed to analyze how empathy levels influence behavioral problems among young children and whether this relationship remains significant after controlling for gender. Using an explanatory quantitative design, data were obtained from 141 kindergarten and RA B teachers in Semarang City through a structured questionnaire. The results of frequency analysis showed that children’s empathy levels were entirely within the high category (100%), while behavioral problems were mostly in the low category (70.9%) and moderate category (29%). Multiple regression testing confirmed that empathy significantly reduced problem behaviors (p &lt; 0.05). Emotional contagion, concern for others, and prosocial behavior were the most influential dimensions. When gender was controlled, empathy remained a significant predictor, whereas gender had no direct effect. This study contributes to the growing body of global scholarship on early childhood socio-emotional development by highlighting empathy as a key psychological mechanism for behavioral regulation. It strengthens the theoretical integration between empathy development and behavioral adjustment, offering empirical evidence that supports cross-cultural understanding of emotional and behavioral competencies in early childhood education. The findings suggest that interventions emphasizing emotional contagion, caring, and prosocial responsiveness can effectively reduce behavioral issues regardless of gender. Further studies are recommended to explore cross-contextual factors such as emotional regulation, family interactions, and teacher–child relationships to enrich the explanatory model of empathy’s influence on children’s behavioral outcomes.