The development of empathy, sympathy, and consideration for others ranks as an important ingredient of social education in schools. To get across to children with deficient empathy and sympathy, knowledge about their psychological mechanisms is necessary. A project on "Psychological Mechanisms in Children with Deficient Empathy and Sympathy" was elaborated to contribute to that kind of knowledge. The work of the project, however, will also entail a development of methods. The techniques which are being developed in the course of the project will be applicable to an evaluation of the effect of different interventions aimed at promoting empathetic attitudes. (RAE)