Empathy

Yesterday, while visiting a friend, I noticed Sylvia doesn't react to the crying of another child. She's very responsive to smiles and laughter, but completely unresponsive to crying and screaming (except occasionally when she copies, but usually if she copies a behavior, it's in a funny (though maybe only to her) way). I didn't realize that true empathy isn't something that develops even in the first year. Apparently kids develop charming behavior long before developing true empathy. Just goes to show charming adults is more important to the survival of children than feeling empathy for others.