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Empathy Measurement

Empathy Measurement. Sibylle Enz. Psychological Empathy Measures. Self-Description Questionnaires Empathy as an ability Face Recognition Picture Stories Somatic and Psychophysiological Measures Behavioural Measures. Psychological Empathy Measures Questionnaires.

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Empathy Measurement

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  1. Empathy Measurement Sibylle Enz

  2. Psychological Empathy Measures • Self-Description • Questionnaires • Empathy as an ability • Face Recognition • Picture Stories • Somatic and Psychophysiological Measures • Behavioural Measures

  3. Psychological Empathy Measures Questionnaires • Subjects rate their tendency to react empathically on a series of items  easy and differentiated “I can tell by looking at a person whether they are happy.” 0 1 2 3 4 I strongly agree I strongly disagree • Problems: • Situational context of empathic reactions • Influence of introspective and verbal skills • Influence of self-presentation

  4. Psychological Empathy Measures Empathy as an Ability • Emotional Face Recognition • Subjects identify emotions on the basis of pictures of facial expressions • E.g. Ekman & Friesen (1975) facial emotion expressions • Very limited perspective on empathy: interpersonal accuracy

  5. Psychological Empathy Measures Empathy as an Ability Which emotion is the person on the photo currently experiencing?

  6. Psychological Empathy Measures Picture Stories • Picture Stories Affectively charged stories; Subjects label feelings of characters and indicate own feelings  Empathy = same/similar emotion • Pros: • Interview-based approach: subjects report subjectively experienced emotions • Easy and differentiated • Cons: • Influence of introspective and verbal skills • Influence of self-presentation • Degree of emotional match?

  7. Psychological Empathy Measures Somatic/Psychophysiological Measures • Presentation of affectively charged stories, usually on videotapes • Measurement of observer’s reaction via • Somatic indices • Physiological indices • Empathy scored for adequate observer’s reaction Somatic Indices • Facial • Gestural • Postural • Paraverbal Physiological Indices • Skin conductance • Heart rate • Palm sweating • Skin temperature • Vasoconstriction • Electromyographic procedures • Pros: • Less vulnerable to verbal skills and self-presentation • Cons: • Psychophysiological Indices: Differentiation? Devices? • Somatic Indices: Expressive styles? Observer bias?

  8. Empathy is seen as precondition for observable behaviour By assessing this behaviour, empathy is measured E.g. helping/prosocial behaviour: Kobayashi: Painting aquarelle Problem: Relation between behaviour and empathy? Psychological Empathy Measures Behavioural Measures

  9. Summary Is it really empathy I am assessing? • Self-presentation • Emotional arousal • Liking • … • combination of empathy measures!

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