Abstract
Trait correlates of empathic responses to dynamic stimuli were examined in this study by combining an experimental paradigm to assess state empathy with measures of trait empathy and five-factor model traits. Undergraduate students (N = 533; 80% women) were shown a set of film clips selected to elicit empathy (i.e., individuals in distress), general negative affect, and neutral emotions; and they reported on their emotional state at baseline and following each film clip. Results showed support for the specific elicitation of empathy from the clips and the unique role of trait cognitive empathy, even above five-factor model personality traits, in explaining empathic responses to the clips. This research expands upon the limited literature on individual differences in emotional empathic responses.
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Notes
The first author contributed to study conceptualization, supervision of study activities, report writing, and editing the manuscript for publication; the second author contributed to study conceptualization, data collection, data preparation, data analysis, and report writing.
Participants who saw an empathy clip first did not significantly differ from those who saw a negative affect non-empathy clip first on demographic variables. Further, the pattern of results was the same across the two orders.
Exploratory analyses showed that baseline empathy scores following the relaxation clip (baseline 2) may have been higher than expected because of the potential elicitation of warm feelings from the aquatic relaxation scene. Supplementary hierarchical regression analyses using the first baseline (baseline 1) instead of the second baseline in the first step revealed that baseline 1 accounted for much less of the variance in post-clip empathy ratings (19.0% vs. 35.7%) and the trait empathy subscales explained over 10% of the variance in step 2 (relative to 4.4% when baseline 2 was used). However, step 3 results were substantively the same, with the TIPI subscales accounting for just over 1% of the variance again.
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Verona, E., Hruza, S.R. Trait Correlates of Empathic Responding in a Film Clip Task. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 46, 76–86 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-023-10107-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-023-10107-y