Zanna Clay

How do young children respond to the distress of others? Applying infrared thermography and behavioural analyses to examine the development of emotion contagion and empathy Empathy is a core feature of the human social experience, underpinned by the sharing of and understanding of others’ states. However, we know relatively little about its early development. Here, we us...

How do young children respond to others' distress?

Using the nifty method of infra-red thermal imaging, we found evidence that the affective building blocks of empathy are already in place from the first years of life

Out now! @plosone.org
@durhampsych.bsky.social
dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...

I just emailed a work colleague to thank them for something, but rather than writing "Thank you so much" - I signed off "Thank you smooch"! 🫣
not my most professional of sign-offs, darned autotype!

EMPATHY: In a new article out in Behaviour "The Evolutionary & Developmental Origins of Empathy: Honouring Frans de Waal’s Legacy", I consider how processes like mimicry, contagion and early social experiences shape later social-emotional development. #OpenAccess here👉: brill.com/view/journal...

EMPATHY: In a new article out in Behaviour "The Evolutionary & Developmental Origins of Empathy: Honouring Frans de Waal’s Legacy", I consider how processes like mimicry, contagion and early social experiences shape later social-emotional development. #OpenAccess here 👉: brill.com/view/journal...

thank you for your interest and for sharing!

Zanna Clay with Frans de Waal at the Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary, DR Congo (2019), as part of their long-term study on bonobo socio-emotional development.

Empathy spans species and begins early in life. In The Evolutionary & Developmental Origins of Empathy: Honouring Frans de Waal’s Legacy, @zannaclay.bsky.social shows how mimicry, contagion & early social experiences shape later social-emotional development. Read #OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1163/1568...

Primates’ same-sex sexual behaviour ‘may reinforce bonds amid environmental stress’ Behaviour among non-human species could help keep groups together in face of social challenges, says study

A new study in @nature.com demonstrates the prevalence of same-sex sexual behaviour in primates (59 species) and its possible ecological and social functions. My comments on the study feature at the end of this coverage in @theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/science/2026...?

Next Friday 24th October at 1pm, I will be giving my Inugural Lecture!
All are extremely welcome. If you would like to attend online (or in person), please can you complete this form? Then I can send you a meeting link and/or if you'd like the recording

forms.gle/UZmAMt5VXNZN...

so glad you enjoyed it! I really enjoyed the conference!

@zannaclay.bsky.social delivering the first Frans de Waal lecture at #CBEN in Antwerp. Terrific talk on the evolution of empathy and a fantastic homage to Frans de Waal's work and legacy. #evosky #philsky #animalbehaviour 🧪

Study highlights cultural differences in parenting and reveals that how babies are soothed matters more than how fast  - Durham University

research summary here from Durham University! 6/6
durham.ac.uk/departments/...

Infant response speeds seem to reflect broader cultural preferences about emotion expressiveness in Uganda and UK
Our results highlight the importance of sociocultural contexts for shaping maternal caregiving and how these relate to infant emotional development. 5/6

We think this reflect the effectiveness of their response strategy. Ugandan mothers used more breastfeeding and tactile comfort at both 3m and 6m, while UK mothers switched to more verbal and engagement strategies as their infants grew. 4/6

Across both sites, faster maternal responsiveness was associated with faster infant recovery from distress, suggesting that prompt maternal intervention facilitates regulation.
Although UK mothers were quicker to respond, Ugandan infants actually recovered faster 3/6

How mothers respond to infants’ emotional cues is key in shaping socio-emotional development However, research outside Western contexts is limited.

We compared how mothers responded to naturally-occurring infant distress in rural Uganda and suburban UK at 3m and 6m. 2/6

Woo new paper! Cross-cultural investigation into maternal responses to infant distress

How babies are soothed may be more important than how quickly, which vary cross-culturally

w/Carlo Vreden & team in #DevelopmentalPsychology!
Open-access link + thread 👇
psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...

Study highlights cultural differences in parenting and reveals that how babies are soothed matters more than how fast  - Durham University

research summary here from Durham University! 6/6
www.durham.ac.uk/departments/...

Infant response speeds seem to reflect broader cultural preferences about emotion expressiveness in Uganda and UK

These results highlight the importance of sociocultural contexts for shaping maternal caregiving practices and how these relate to infant emotional development. 5/6

We think this reflect the effectiveness of their response strategy. Ugandan mothers used more breastfeeding and tactile comfort at both 3m and 6m, while UK mothers switched to more verbal and engagement strategies as their infants grew. 4/6

Across both sites, faster maternal responsiveness was associated with faster infant recovery from distress, suggesting that prompt maternal intervention facilitates emotional regulation.
Although UK mothers were quicker to respond to their infants, Ugandan infants actually recovered faster 3/6

How mothers respond to infants’ emotional cues is key in shaping socio-emotional development
However, research outside Western contexts is limited. 
We compared how mothers responded to naturally-occurring infant distress in rural Uganda and suburban UK at 3m and 6m. 2/6

Durham Psychology is hiring!
The department is seeking to appoint an Assistant Professor in forensic psychology, woo! Come join us, we're a friendly and vibrant dept and Durham is beautiful!
Please see info here and reach out with any Qs.
durham.taleo.net/careersectio...

Reddit post on r/technology about young people and AI: "I recently heard about a teacher who instead of trying to circumvent students using AI, which is impossible, she made assignments by going "ask ChatGPT to write a report on this subject, and then research how and why it's wrong". Not only did the students discover that ChatGPT is extremely wrong a lot of the time, it also lead them to realise that they should not use it as a primary source".

This is one of the best ideas I've heard in ages.

A study by @zannaclay.bsky.social, Carlo Vreden suggests that babies possess a powerful capacity for empathy long before they can walk or talk.As babies grow and develop, this sensitivity can develop into a deeper understanding of others' emotions and the motivation to care for them.
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@psyche.co

Changes in facial skin temperature are measured using thermal imaging, which can help scientists better understand underlying emotional states.

Research paper is published in the @psyche.co

Image provided by developmental psychologists @zannaclay.bsky.social and Carlo Vreden.
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aw, that is a pity- and thanks very much for explaining- that's great that the effort had been made in the planning though!

This looks brilliant topic wise-
Though it's a pity that only 2 of the 10 speakers are women. There are so many great women scientists who could have provided excellent contributions for a more balanced programme - @asab.org

What contagious crying and comforting in infants tell us about the roots of emotional connection

We wrote a piece in @psyche.co magazine about our research on #empathy in infants

@durhampsych.bsky.social
psyche.co/ideas/were-l...

WeTransfer just changed their TOS giving themselves permission to train AI on any content you transfer and produce derivative works based on content you transfer that they are allowed to monetize and you are not allowed payment for.

Stop using WeTransfer.

Reevaluating the relationship between female sociality and infant survival in wild baboons | PNAS Over the past few decades, studies have provided strong evidence that the robust links between the social environment, health, and survival found i...

Social determinants of health: A reanalysis shows that the link between maternal sociality and infant survival in Amboseli baboons is actually driven by state-dependent changes in maternal social behaviour

I missed this when it came out, so sharing in case you did too

www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...