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18-03-2021 | Original Article

Are Children High on Callous-Unemotional Traits Emotionally Blind? Testing Eye-Gaze Differences

Auteurs: Chara A. Demetriou, Kostas A. Fanti

Gepubliceerd in: Child Psychiatry & Human Development | Uitgave 4/2022

Abstract

Callous-unemotional traits have been associated with difficulties in identifying and responding to others’ emotions. To inform this line of research, the current study investigated the eye gaze behavior of children (n = 59; mean-age = 6.35) with varying levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits with the use of eye-tracker methodology, as well as their ability to accurately identify emotional expressions. Participating children were selected from a large screening sample (N = 1283). Main findings supported a reduced fixation rate to the eye-region and an increased fixation in the mouth area of emotional faces among children high on callous-unemotional traits (HCU), irrespective of emotion expressed (i.e., fear, sad, angry and happy) and age of individuals portrayed in images (adult versus child faces). Further, findings suggested that HCU children were less likely to accurately identify facial emotional expressions, which might be due to the identified attentional neglect to the eye region of emotional faces. Current findings support the importance of early prevention and intervention programs that can enhance the emotional development and social adjustment of HCU children.

vorige artikel A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Mother–Child Attachment and Externalizing Trajectories in Boys and Girls

volgende artikel Adult-Onset ADHD: A Critical Analysis and Alternative Explanations

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Titel: Are Children High on Callous-Unemotional Traits Emotionally Blind? Testing Eye-Gaze Differences
Auteurs: Chara A. Demetriou
Kostas A. Fanti
Publicatiedatum: 18-03-2021
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Child Psychiatry & Human Development / Uitgave 4/2022
Print ISSN: 0009-398X
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-3327
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-021-01152-3

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