Don’t want to raise a psychopath? Be sensitive to a child’s distress

How do you stop a child, especially one who has experienced significant adversity, from growing up to be a psychopath? Responsive, empathetic caregiving -- especially when children are in distress -- helps prevent boys from becoming callous, unemotional adolescents, according to a new Tulane University study of children raised in foster care.

"If we can intervene early to help kids in their development, it not only helps them but also the broader society," lead author Kathryn Humphreys says. "The best way to do that is making sure children are placed in homes with responsive caregivers and helping caregivers learn to be more responsive to their child's needs."