RELACIÓN ENTRE FUNCIONES EJECUTIVAS Y EMPATÍA EN NIÑOS DE 9 A 11 AÑOS.
RELACIÓN ENTRE FUNCIONES EJECUTIVAS Y EMPATÍA EN NIÑOS DE 9 A 11 AÑOS.
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DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.11123310811
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Palavras-chave: Empatía, funciones ejecutivas, control inhibitorio, flexibilidad cognitiva, escolares.
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Keywords: Empathy, executive functions, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, schoolchildren.
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Abstract: Empathy is the ability to perceive, share, and understand the emotional states of others, thanks to its affective and cognitive components, while executive functions refer to the capacities that allow us to build a plan in order to achieve a specific goal. These constructs show better development during the school period, which is a critical state of transition and rapid changes in executive and emotional competencies. The relationship between empathy and executive functions could facilitate the creation of intervention programs from a socio-emotional and cognitive approach for children. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between executive functions and empathy in children aged 9 to 11 years. The design was quantitative, non-experimental, comparative, and cross-sectional. The sample consisted of 68 participants (38 boys and 30 girls) aged between 9 and 11 years. Institutional authorization and informed consent were obtained. The Neuropsychological Battery of Executive Functions and Frontal Lobes (BANFE-2) and the Multidimensional Empathy Questionnaire for Children aged 9 to 12 years were administered. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman correlation, and Kruskal-Wallis test were used for data analysis. The results showed significant differences in inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and empathy with respect to age; however, no differences were found when comparing by gender. Moreover, positive correlations revealed that higher empathy was associated with greater inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is an interrelation between empathy and indicators of cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control.
- Arturo Magallanes Salinas
- Xóchitl Angélica Ortiz Jiménez