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Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
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They do not suffer like us: The differential attribution of social pain as a dehumanization criterion in children

Alexandra Chas Villar, Verónica Betancor Rodríguez, Naira Delgado Rodríguez and Armando Rodríguez Pérez

Universidad de La Laguna

Background: Social pain is considered a feature of humanity. The goal of this study was to confirm whether children, like adults, dehumanise out-group members attributing them less capacity to experience social pain than to in-group members. Methods: A total of 119 participants aged between 9 and 13 years responded to a questionnaire which collected information about situations that caused physical pain and situations that caused social pain. The task of the participants was to indicate to what extent they considered that two persons (a member of the in-group and a member of an out-group) would experience pain in each situation. Results: The results indicated that there was a higher estimate of social pain suffered by in-group members. There were no significant differences in the case of situations that generated physical in the groups. Conclusions: The results were analysed from the dehumanisation perspective.

Ellos no sufren como nosotros: la atribución diferencial de dolor social como criterio de deshumanización en niños. Antecedentes: se considera que la capacidad de experimentar dolor social es una característica exclusivamente humana. El objetivo de esta investigación es comprobar si los niños, al igual que los adultos, deshumanizan a los miembros de exogrupos atribuyéndoles menos capacidad de experimentar dolor social que a los miembros del endogrupo. Método: un total de 119 participantes de entre 9 y 13 años respondieron a un cuestionario en el que se recogían situaciones que causan dolor físico y situaciones que causan dolor de tipo social. La tarea de los participantes era indicar en qué medida consideraban que dos personas (un miembro del endogrupo y un miembro de un exogrupo) experimentarían dolor en cada una de las situaciones. Resultados: los resultados indican que se produce una mayor estimación de dolor social en los miembros del endogrupo que en los miembros del exogrupo. En el caso de las situaciones que generan dolor físico no se encontraron diferencias significativas en función del grupo. Conclusiones: los resultados se analizan desde la perspectiva de la deshumanización.

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