Exploratory 3-month follow-up suggested a sleeper effect on parent-rated empathy, but no maintained gains in other outcomes¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q2·i2medium
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.
q2 i2 In the exploratory complete-case follow-up, the GEM parent rating showed a group effect with larger empathy increases for the training group from T1 to T3; none of the other outcomes showed significant changes over time. → 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
q2 · i2 · causal · r2
Exploratory complete-case follow-up ANCOVA including families completing T1, T2 and T3 (Zirkus Empathico N = 17; Controls N = 24) after 44.6% data loss. The GEM "detected a group effect" (d = 0.77, p = 0.002); other outcomes showed no significant changes over time.
"For the GEM parent rating, we detected a group effect ( d = 0.77 [0.21, 1.31], p = 0.002) with larger increases in empathy for the Zirkus Empathico group compared to controls from T1 to T3."
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
- Six-week Zirkus Empathico training increased parent-rated empathy (EMK 3-6) but not GEM-rated or child-assessed empathy in preschoolers — related
- Personality changes achieved through digital VPC interventions persist, remaining sustained or amplified at three-month and one-year follow-ups — related
- Zirkus Empathico reduced parent-rated behavioral problems in preschoolers — related
- Retention improves math self-efficacy and reduces math anxiety in the first year, with effects maintained (anxiety showing a positive sleeper effect at Lag 4) — related
- Zirkus Empathico increased parent-rated prosocial behavior but not child-assessed prosocial behavior — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
zirkus-empathico-followup-sleeper-empathy |
title |
Exploratory 3-month follow-up suggested a sleeper effect on parent-rated empathy, but no maintained gains in other outcomes |
description |
Exploratory 3-month follow-up suggested a sleeper effect on parent-rated empathy, but no maintained gains in other outcomes |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
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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