Psicothema, 2011. Vol. Vol. 23 (nº 1). 13-19

Melchor Gutiérrez Sanmartín, Amparo Escartí Carbonell y Carminal Pascual Baños

Los objetivos de este estudio son, por una parte, presentar la versión española de diferentes instrumentos que evalúan Empatía, Conducta prosocial, Agresividad, Autoeficacia y Responsabilidad personal y social; y, por otra, analizar qué variables podrían predecir la responsabilidad. Los participantes, 822 alumnos de 8 a 15 años, pertenecientes a 11 centros educativos de la Comunidad Valenciana, completaron versiones españolas del Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents, la Prosocial Behaviour y la Physical and Verbal Aggression, la Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Self-Efficacy y el Contextual Self-Responsibility Questionnaire. Mediante modelos de ecuaciones estructurales (SEM) se ha comprobado que Conducta prosocial, Empatía y Percepción de eficacia predicen positivamente la Responsabilidad personal y social de los escolares, mientras que la Agresividad ha mostrado relaciones negativas con la Responsabilidad. Se discuten los resultados y sus implicaciones para la educación.

Relationships among empathy, prosocial behavior, aggressiveness, self-efficacy and pupils’ personal and social responsibility. The aim of this study was, on the one hand, to present/display the Spanish version of diverse instruments that assess Empathy, Prosocial behavior, Aggressiveness, Self-efficacy and Personal and social responsibility, and, on the other hand, to analyze which of these variables could predict responsibility. Participants were 822 pupils, ages 8 to 15 years, who studied in 11 educational centres of the Valencian Community. Measures include Spanish versions of the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents, Prosocial Behaviour, and Physical and Verbal Aggression, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Self-Efficacy, and the Contextual Self-Responsibility Questionnaire. Through structural equation modelling (SEM), the results showed positive relationships between Prosocial behaviour, Empathy, Self-efficacy, and Responsibility; and negative relationships between Aggressiveness and Responsibility. The results and implications for education are discussed.