Research in psychology related to the conceptualization of empathy has been on the rise in the last decades. However, we argue that there is still space for further research to help capture the important notion of empathy and its theoretical and conceptual depth. Following a critical review of the current state of the research that conceptualizes and measures empathy, we focus on works that highlight the importance of a shared vision and its relevance in psychology and neuroscience.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article explores the hypothesis that while maturation related cognitive abilities reaches maturity around the age of fifteen, maturation related social skills is delayed until well into the twenties. Our goal is to try to define what is the window of opportunity/vulnerability and what is the maturational status of the young in this interval. In this context, we argue how the maturational time of the closing of adolescence has an impact on the valuation of autonomy in decision-making of the person.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this article we introduce the hypothesis that neuropsychological adolescent maturation, and in particular emotional management, may have opposing explanations depending on the interpretation of the assumed brain architecture, that is, whether a componential computational account (CCA) or a dynamic systems perspective (DSP) is used. According to CCA, cognitive functions are associated with the action of restricted brain regions, and this association is temporally stable; by contrast, DSP argues that cognitive functions are better explained by interactions between several brain areas, whose engagement in specific functions is temporal and context-dependent and based on neural reuse. We outline the main neurobiological facts about adolescent maturation, focusing on the neuroanatomical and neurofunctional processes associated with adolescence.
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