The Effect Of Perspective Taking On Explicit And Implicit Stigma Among Left-behind Children: The Mediating Role Of Empathic Responses

Left-behind children are a large group in China.Studies have shown that left-behind children are subject to prejudice,discrimination and exclusion in terms of physical and mental health,interpersonal communication,and social adjustment.The stigma of left-behind children is a complex of negative traits that people have formed on the character,ability,learning,and behavior of left-behind children.A complex of negative traits formed.There are three main methods of traditional intervention in stigma: contact,education,and protest.Each has its limitations.This article believes that the root of the limitations lies in the failure to start from the internal state of the stigmatizer.Therefore,based on the hypothesis of empathy and altruism,this article explores the influence of perspective taking on the explicit and implicit stigma of left-behind children.It is divided into three studies.Since there is no stigma questionnaire for left-behind children in the existing research,study one based on relevant literature and semi-structured open questionnaires,compiled a questionnaire on the explicit stigma of left-behind children based on semantic differences.The questionnaire has four dimensions of learning,personality,behavior and ability,with good reliability and validity.Study 2 explored the influence of perspective taking on the apparent stigma of left-behind children.Participants selected 71 Nanjing university students and randomly divided them into imaginative perspective taking group and objective perspective taking group.Compared with objective perspective taking group,the left-behind children in the imaginative perspective taking group had a significantly lower level of stigma(F=6.37,p=0.001),Empathy plays an intermediary role in the selection of opinions to reduce the apparent stigma of left-behind children.Study 3 explored the influence of perspective taking on the implicit stigma of left-behind children.74 Nanjing university students were selected and randomly divided into imaginative perspective taking group and objective perspective taking group for pre-and post-test.According to the data screening criteria of the single-type implicit association test,Finally,66 valid data were obtained.Compared with objective perspective taking group,the left-behind children in the imaginative perspective taking group did not significantly reduce the level of implicit stigma(F=0.06,p=0.10),and empathy did not have a mediating effect.In summary,the research conclusions of this article are as follows:(1)The explicit stigma questionnaire for left-behind children based on semantic differences was compiled,including four dimensions of learning,personality,behavior,and ability,with good reliability and validity.(2)Undergraduates have explicit and implicit stigma against left-behind children.(3)Compared with objective taking group,imaginative perspective taking can effectively reduce the subjects' external stigma of left-behind children.(4)The empathy reaction plays a part of mediating role in perspective taking to reduce the participants' apparent stigma on left-behind children.(5)Compared with objective taking group,imaginative perspective taking cannot effectively reduce the implicit stigma of left-behind children.(6)The empathy reaction doesn't play a part of mediating role in perspective taking to reduce the participants' apparent stigma on left-behind children.