The present study examined the expressive and temporal pattern of empathy in 8- and 18-week-old babies. Infant empathy was observed in the context of face-to-face interactions of 90 mother-infant dyads, seen both at 8 and 18 weeks. These interactions were observed and analyzed both, in real time and micro-analytically. Certain infant behaviors were more likely to be involved in the expressive pattern of infant empathy than others. In addition, the expressive pattern of infant empathy was found to be quite different in the case of the infant empathizing with positive and negative maternal emotions. In relation to its temporal pattern, it was observed that infant empathy occurred in a time-interval of ½ second before and 1 second after the emotional change in the mother. The results suggest the re-evaluation of traditional beliefs concerning early infant communicative capacities, while contemporary theoretical contexts are discussed.
empathy; mother-infant interaction; intersubjetivity
