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Dr. Roth-Hanania Ronit
Fields of Research
Dr. Roth-Hanania Ronit
School of Behavioral Sciences
  • Development of empathy during infancy

  • The impact of parenting (maternal mentalization, maternal empathy) during pregnancy and following child birth on infants’ development of empathy and ToM 

  • Early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder during infancy

  • The impact of early intervention

Short Bio

Dr. Roth-Hanania is a lecturer at the School of Behavioral Sciences in The Academic College of Tel Aviv Yaffo. Dr. Roth-Hanania received her Ph.D in Applied Developmental Psychology from Fordham University in New York. Her work has been presented in international conferences and published in scholarly journals including Developmental Science, Infant Behavior & Development, Child Development Perspectives, and Journal of Developmental Disabilities.

For several years, Dr. Roth-Hanania has served as the head psychologist at the Child Development Center, at Sheba Medical Center Tel Hashomer, and as a senior developmental psychologist in the public service. Dr. Roth-Hanania’s areas of expertise are infant development, infant assessment and evaluation, early detection of ASD, and early intervention. Dr. Roth-Hanania is leading a comprehensive longitudinal research project focusing on the impact of maternal mentalization and empathy on infant development of empathy and ToM (EMI Project) and has been principal investigator in several large scale funded research projects focusing on the early development of empathy (BSF supported) and using empathic markers in infancy as prodromal signs of ASD.

Selected Publications

  1. Davidov, M., Paz, Y., Roth-Hanania, R., Uzefovsky, F., Orlitsky, T., Mankuta, D., & Zahn-Waxler, C. (2020) Caring babies: Concern for others in distress during infancy. Developmental Science.

  2. Gabis, L.V, Leon Attia, O., Roth-Hanania, R. & Foss-Feig, J. (2020) Motor delay – An early and more common “red flag” in girls rather than boys with autism spectrum disorder. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 104, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.10370

  3. Paz, Y., Orlitsky, T., Roth‐Hanania, R., Zahn‐Waxler, C., & Davidov, M. (2020). Predicting externalizing behavior in toddlerhood from early individual differences in empathy. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry.‏

  4. Davidov, M., Zahn-Waxler, C., Roth-Hanania, R. & Knafo, A. (2013). Concern for others in the first year of life: Theory, evidence and avenues for research. Child Development Perspectives, 7, 126-131.

  5. Roth Hanania, R., Davidov, M., & Zahn-Waxler, C. (2011). Empathy development from 8 to 16 months: Early signs of concern for others. Infant Behavior and Development, 34, 447-458.

  6. Roth-Hanania, R., & Davidov, M. (2004). Attachment. In C. Spielberger, (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology (pp. 191-202). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

  7. Roth-Hanania, R., Busch-Rossnagel, N., & Higgins-D’Alessandro, A. (2000). Development of Self and Empathy in Early Infancy: Implications for Atypical Development.  Infants & Young Children, 13, 1-14.

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