Six-week Zirkus Empathico training increased parent-rated empathy (EMK 3-6) but not GEM-rated or child-assessed empathy in preschoolers¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q4·i1small
Currency · newest study 2023 · checked against its sources 2026-10-26 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q4 i1 The Zirkus Empathico group showed larger increases in EMK 3-6 parent-rated empathy than controls (d = 0.28), while no group difference was detected for the GEM parent rating or the EMK child assessment. → Naumann 2023
Evidence¶
Naumann 2023¶
Naumann, S., Bayer, M., Kirst, S., van der Meer, E. & Dziobek, I. (2023). A randomized controlled trial on the digital socio-emotional competence training Zirkus Empathico for preschoolers. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-023-00169-8
q4 · i1 · causal · r2
Pre-registered RCT with 74 preschoolers randomized to Zirkus Empathico or active control; ITT ANCOVAs on change scores covarying pre-training scores. EMK parent empathy "indicated larger increases in empathy for the Zirkus Empathico group" (d = 0.28, p = 0.045), but GEM parent rating (d = 0.23, p = 0.32) and EMK child assessment (p = 0.07) showed no group differences.
"In contrast, EMK 3-6 parent ratings indicated larger increases in empathy for the Zirkus Empathico group compared to controls (EMK EM P ITT: d = 0.28 [ −0.17, 0.76], p = 0.045"
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Emotional Intelligence — outcome: instruction changes it
- Social Awareness and Relationship Skills — outcome: instruction changes it
Related Claims¶
- Zirkus Empathico improved child-assessed emotion recognition but not parent-rated emotion recognition in preschoolers — related
- Zirkus Empathico increased parent-rated prosocial behavior but not child-assessed prosocial behavior — related
- Exploratory 3-month follow-up suggested a sleeper effect on parent-rated empathy, but no maintained gains in other outcomes — related
- Training group showed larger P3 amplitudes to happy versus neutral and angry faces post-training; early ERP components were unaffected — related
- Zirkus Empathico reduced parent-rated behavioral problems in preschoolers — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
zirkus-empathico-empathy-gains-measure-dependent |
title |
Six-week Zirkus Empathico training increased parent-rated empathy (EMK 3-6) but not GEM-rated or child-assessed empathy in preschoolers |
description |
Six-week Zirkus Empathico training increased parent-rated empathy (EMK 3-6) but not GEM-rated or child-assessed empathy in preschoolers |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
mixed |
newest_evidence |
2023 |
source_checked |
2026-10-26 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-26 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — naumann-2023 |
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