Empathy (Psychology)

Empathy and Édouard Manet’s 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère': Feeling for Connection

by Allison Leigh

Emotionally Expressive Avatars for Collaborative Virtual Environments (PhD Thesis)

by Marc Fabri

Fabri, M. (2006) Emotionally Expressive Avatars for Collaborative Virtual Environments, PhD Thesis, Leeds Metropolitan University, November 2006

When humans communicate with each other face-to-face, they frequently use their bodies to complement, contradict,... more When humans communicate with each other face-to-face, they frequently use their bodies to complement, contradict, substitute, or regulate what is being said. These non-verbal signals are important for understanding each other, particularly in respect of expressing changing moods and emotional states. In modern communication technologies such as telephone, email or instant messaging, these indicators are typically lost and communication is limited to the exchange of verbal messages, with little scope for expressing emotions.

This thesis explores Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) as an alternative communication technology potentially allowing interlocutors to express themselves emotionally in an efficient and effective way. CVE users are represented by three-dimensional, animated embodiments, referred to as “avatars”, capable of showing emotional expressions. The avatar acts as an interaction device, providing information that would otherwise be difficult to mediate. Potential applications for such CVE systems are all areas where people cannot come together physically, but wish to discuss or collaborate on certain matters, for example in distance learning, home working, or simply to chat with friends and colleagues. Further, CVEs could be used in the therapeutic intervention of phobias and help address social impairments such as autism.

To investigate how emotions can efficiently and effectively be visualised in a CVE, an animated virtual head was designed to express, in a readily recognisable manner, the six universal emotions happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise and disgust. A controlled experiment was then conducted to investigate the virtual head model. Effectiveness was demonstrated through good recognition rates for most emotions, and efficiency was established since a reduced animation feature set was found to be sufficient to build core distinctive facial expressions. A set of exemplar facial expressions and guidelines for their use was developed.

A second controlled experiment was then conducted to investigate the effect such an emotionally expressive, animated avatar has on users of a prototype CVE, the Virtual Messenger (VM). The hypothesis was that introducing emotions into CVE interaction can be beneficial on many levels, namely the users’ subjective experience, their involvement, and how they perceive and interact with each other. The design considerations for VM are outlined, and a newly developed methodological framework for evaluation is presented.

The findings suggest that emotional expressiveness in avatars increases involvement in the interaction between CVE users, as well as their sense of being together, or copresence. This has a positive effect on their subjective experience. Further, empathy was identified as a key component for creating a more enjoyable experience and greater harmony between CVE users. The caveat is that emotionally expressive avatars may not be useful in all contexts or all types of CVEs as they may distract users from the task they are aiming to complete.

Finally, a set of tentative design guidelines for emotionally expressive avatars in CVEs is derived from the work undertaken, covering the appearance and expressive abilities of avatars. These are aimed at CVE researchers and avatar designers.

Mediating the Expression of Emotion in Educational Collaborative Virtual Environments: An Experimental Study

by Marc Fabri

Fabri, M., Moore, D.J., Hobbs, D.J (2004) Mediating the Expression of Emotion in Educational Collaborative Virtual Environments: An Experimental Study, in International Journal of Virtual Reality, 7(2), Springer Verlag London, pp 66-81

The use of avatars with emotionally expressive faces is potentially highly beneficial to communication in... more The use of avatars with emotionally expressive faces is potentially highly beneficial to communication in collaborative virtual environments (CVEs), especially when used in a distance learning context. However, little is known about how, or indeed whether, emotions can effectively be transmitted through the medium of CVE. Given this, an avatar head model with limited but human-like expressive abilities was built, designed to enrich CVE communication. Based on the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), the head was designed to express, in a readily recognisable manner, the six universal emotions. An experiment was conducted to investigate the efficacy of the model. Results indicate that the approach of applying the FACS model to virtual face representations is not guaranteed to work for all expressions of a particular emotion category. However, given appropriate use of the model, emotions can effectively be visualised with a limited number of facial features. A set of exemplar facial expressions is presented.

Getting tuned in to those who are different: The role of empathy as mediator between diversity and performance.

by Sebastian Stegmann

Co-authored with: Maire-Elene Roberge & Rolf van Dick
Zeitschrift für Betriebswirschaft 82:19-44
DOI: 10.1007/s11573-011-0543-y

We present a theoretical model on the processes that mediate and moderate the diversity-performance relationship. Past... more We present a theoretical model on the processes that mediate and moderate the diversity-performance relationship. Past research on this topic – for example the categorization elaboration model (van Knippenberg et al., 2004) – has often focused on information elaboration as mediator. Complementing this cognitive perspective, we propose that group diversity can also stimulate group members to engage with each other emotionally, resulting in higher levels of empathy – an emotional state which arises from the comprehension and apprehension of fellow group members’ emotional state. Empathy, in turn, is likely to enhance performance through processes within a single group member and through processes between group members. At the core of the model lies the proposition that group- as well as individual-level empathy mediate the relationship between diversity of organizational units and the performance of individual members and groups at large (multilevel mediation). Furthermore, we specify moderating conditions for the relationship between diversity and empathy. Diversity beliefs and diversity climates are introduced as second-order moderators.
Keywords: diversity, empathy, social categorization, performance, diversity beliefs, diversity climates
Schlüsselwörter: Diversität, Empathie, Soziale Kategorisierung, Leistung, Diversitätsüberzeugungen, Diversitätsklima

Empathy and Epistemology: A Quinean Perspective

by Antti Keskinen

Submitted to Mind & Language (in April 2012)

According to W.V. Quine, linguistic expressions he calls observation sentences constitute the link between language... more According to W.V. Quine, linguistic expressions he calls observation sentences constitute the link between language and world. Quine argues that the use and the ostensive learning of observation sentences depends on empathy, the ability to understand what another subject is perceiving. In this paper, Quine’s attribution of empathy to prelinguistic children and his view of the role of their empathy in early language acquisition is discussed in the light of recent psychological research. Quine also gives a theoretical analysis of empathizing in terms of perception attributions. Quine’s analysis of empathizing is shown to involve serious problems. An alternative account of empathizing is proposed.

Who needs empathy? A response to Goldie's arguments against empathy and suggestions for an account of mutual perspective-shifting in contexts of help and care

by Mark Coeckelbergh

Re-examining the Montgomery Bus Boycott: Toward an Empathetic Pedagogy of the Civil Rights Movement

by Derek Alderman

Alderman, Derek H., Paul Kingsbury, and Owen Dwyer. (forthcoming, 2013) “Re-examining the Montgomery Bus Boycott: Toward an Empathetic Pedagogy of the Civil Rights Movement.” Professional Geographer.

"Strategic Empathizing: Techniques of Bounded, Ambassadorial, and Broadcast Narrative Empathy"

by Suzanne Keen

The Use of History of Science as a Cultural Tool to Promote Students’ Empathy with the Culture of Science*

by Halil Eksi

Burcu G. GÜNEY Hayati ŞEKER
Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice - 12(1) • Winter • 533-539

It is difficult for students to understand historical settings, connect to today’s world, interpret and appreciatemore It is difficult for students to understand historical settings, connect to today’s world, interpret and appreciate
scientists’ efforts within current perspectives. Empathizing with historical characters and events can mediate
understanding nature of physics for students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of history
of science on students’ empathy with the historical characters and the events. With regards of socio-cultural
theory, empathy was defined as a cultural tool, which mediates between students and the science society. The
study was conducted in a private high school with participation of twenty-one 9th grade students in physics class
for the unit of The Nature of Physics. A qualitative case-study method was employed. Data resources were video
and audio recordings, field notes, students’ tasks, interviews, and surveys. After transcribing and categorizing,
the data were analyzed and patterns were organized. The findings supported eight aspects of empathy: Making
Personal Connections, Imagination, Identification, Humanization, Understanding the Events, Understanding Different
Perspectives, Understanding the Tentativeness of the Conclusions and Taking Perspectives. The results
supported that students could interact with the culture of science with the use of the aspects of historical
empathy. The use of the aspects of empathy attracted students’ interest in physics lesson. The results are also
promising for students’ understanding nature of science.

Development and Validation of the Vicarious Distress Questionnaire

by Delphine Grynberg

Grynberg, D., Heeren, A., & Luminet, O. (2012). Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science. Accepted for publication.

The ability to empathize with other people’s feelings of distress has been widely studied in psychology. However, no... more The ability to empathize with other people’s feelings of distress has been widely studied in psychology. However, no questionnaire to date has been developed in order to measure such distress responses and their behavioural correlates. Three studies describe the development and the validation of the Vicarious Distress Questionnaire (VDQ), which is a self-report measure that assesses participants’ distress responses as well as their consequences (support or avoidance) in response to another’s distress. In Study 1, we developed items and assessed the factor structure of the VDQ. Study 2 presented a confirmatory factor analysis that supported the three-factor model (Distress, Support, and Avoidance factors) and showed good scale score reliability. Study 3 showed significant correlations among the factors of the VDQ and measures of affective empathy, anxiety disorders, alexithymia, and mood disorders. The Distress factor of the VDQ also showed satisfactory discriminant validity with the cognitive factors of empathy (i.e., Perspective Taking and Fantasy). Taken together, these results provide comprehensive support for the validity and reliability of the VDQ.

Helping Behavior, Dispositional Empathic Concern, and the Principle of Care

by Rene Bekkers

Co-authored with Mark Ottoni Wilhelm

This research investigates the relative strength of two correlates of helping behavior: dispositional empathic concern... more This research investigates the relative strength of two correlates of helping behavior: dispositional empathic concern and a moral principle to care about others. The empathy–helping and care–helping relationships are investigated using data from the General Social Survey, a nationally representative random sample of the U.S. adult population. Ten helping behaviors are investigated. The results show that the care–helping relationship is stronger than the empathy–helping relationship for most helping behaviors, and that the empathy–helping relationship is mediated by the principle of care. That dispositional empathic concern is mediated by the principle of care requires new theoretical interpretations of the empathy–helping relationship, and suggests new directions for research on helping behavior.

The Evolution of Empathy

by Anthony Gottlieb

Review of "The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society", by Frans de Waal. Published in The Economist on September 3rd, 2009

Love, eye contact and the deveopmental origins of empathy v psychopathy

by Jennifer L. Allen

Background
A propensity to attend to other people’s emotions is a necessary condition for human empathy.
... more Background
A propensity to attend to other people’s emotions is a necessary condition for human empathy.

Aims
To test our hypothesis that psychopathic disorder begins as a failure to attend to the eyes of attachment figures, using a ‘love’ scenario in young children.

Method
Children with oppositional defiant disorder, assessed for callous–unemotional traits, and a control group were observed in a love interaction with mothers. Eye contact and affection were measured for each dyad.

Results
There was no group difference in affection and eye contact expressed by the mothers. Compared with controls, children with oppositional defiant disorder expressed lower levels of affection back towards their mothers; those with high levels of callous–unemotional traits showed significantly lower levels of affection than the children lacking these traits. As predicted, the former group showed low levels of eye contact toward their mothers. Low eye contact was not correlated with maternal coercive parenting or feelings toward the child, but was correlated with psychopathic fearlessness in their fathers.

Conclusions
Impairments in eye contact are characteristic of children with callous–unemotional traits, and these impairments are independent of maternal behaviour.

The Role of Empathy in Making Availability Judgments from Video and Silhouette Awareness Information

by Ehsan Baha

Ruyter, B.; Baha,S.E.; Pijl, M.; Markopoulos, P. (2011) The Role of Empathy in Making Availability Judgments from Video and Silhouette Awareness Information. The Ergonomics Open Journal, Vol. 4, 42-46.

This work has been a collaboration between:
* Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
* Philips Research Europe, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

This paper reports research concerning video media spaces for the home and specifically the extent to which different... more This paper reports research concerning video media spaces for the home and specifically the extent to which different approaches for video obfuscation can balance conflicting requirements for awareness between connected individuals and privacy. Different filtering techniques were compared regarding the ability of observers to make inferences regarding the observed, and with regards to the acceptability of being observed through such media. So far, related research has only considered individual differences between observers at a cursory level. We report on two experiments that evaluated whether people ability to empathize with others influences their ability to evaluate the availability of another person based on a video footage. We focused on supporting judgments of availability for communication comparing full video and on silhouette based obfuscation. The first experiment indicated a strong relation between empathy score and availability judgments. This effect was strongest for both males and females in the silhouette visualization condition. To further understand and confirm the effects found in this study, a second experiment involving more test participants and controlling for the correctness of availability judgments was conducted. Our findings suggest that empathetic skills specifically, and social cognition skills more generally, are critical factors for availability judgments.

Trajectories of prosocial behavior and physical aggression in middle childhood: Links to adolescent school dropout and physical violence

by Eric Lacourse

Learning about pain from others: an observational learning account

by Liesbet Goubert

Final draft version

Although direct experience and verbal instruction are important sources in the development of painrelated beliefs and... more Although direct experience and verbal instruction are important sources in the development of painrelated beliefs and behaviors, accumulating evidence indicates that observation of others in pain may be equally as important. Taking a contemporary view on learning as a starting point, we discuss available evidence on observational learning in the context of pain, highlight its importance for both development and management of chronic pain problems, and discuss potential moderators of observational learning effects. We argue that the capacity to understand and appreciate the experience of another person is fundamental to observational learning, including use of this information to
establish the association between pain and antecedent or consequent stimuli. A main objective of this paper is to stimulate research on the role of learning about pain from others. Several lines for further research, including clinical applications, are delineated.

A biopsychosocial formulation of pain communication.

by Liesbet Goubert

We present a detailed framework for understanding the numerous and complicated interactions among psychological and... more We present a detailed framework for understanding the numerous and complicated interactions among psychological and social determinants of pain through examination of the process of pain communication. The focus is on an improved understanding of immediate dyadic transactions during painful events in the context of broader social phenomena. Fine-grain consideration of social transactions during pain leads to an appreciation of sociobehavioral events affecting both suffering persons as well as caregivers. Our examination considers knowledge from a variety of perspectives, including clinical health psychology, social and developmental processes, evolutionary psychology, communication studies, and behavioral neuroscience.

12 Perceiving Others in Pain: Experimental and Clinical Evidence on the Role of Empathy

by Liesbet Goubert

Perceiving pain in others: automatic and controlled mechanisms

by Liesbet Goubert

Facing others in pain: the effects of empathy

by Liesbet Goubert

A wealth of research addresses intra-individual determinants of pain, distress and disability. In contrast, limited... more A wealth of research addresses intra-individual determinants of pain, distress and disability. In contrast, limited attention has been devoted to the interpersonal domain. It is well established that significant others have an impact upon the experience of pain and associated suffering. Largely unexplored are the effects of pain upon the experience of observers themselves. Facing others in pain elicits a varied range of responses from ignoring to distress, compassion, and inclinations to comfort or help. In this review we will argue that understanding the effects of facing others in pain requires an understanding of empathy. After defining the construct and exploring relevant theories, we apply empathy to pain. We discuss how and when empathy may foster distress and inclinations to help, and provide suggestions for future research