Tests and Measures of Empathy.
Types of Measurements
Self-report measures of empathy
people rate their own level of empathy.
Using observation to measure empathy. i.e. observers rate some ones empathy.
Physiological measures of empathy
skin conductance
heart rate
coding of facial expressions
brain imaging fMRI
"Numerous instruments purporting to measure empathy have been developed, but there is little agreement among researchers on exactly what should be measured and how it should be measured. Each of the measurement approaches stem from a different view of empathy as a concept. Instruments are categorised as
self-report,
client observer measures,
peer judgment or
independent observer judgment." (BRINK 1991)
"Empathy may be measured from three different perspectives:
Self-rating (first person assessment) – the assessment of empathy using standardised questionnaires completed by those being assessed.
Patient-rating (second person assessment) – the use of questionnaires given to patients to assess the empathy they experience among their carers.
Observer rating (third person assessment) – the use of standardised assessments by an observer to rate empathy in interactions between health personnel and patients, including the use of 'standardised' or simulated patient encounters to control for observed differences secondary to differences between patients." (HEMMERDINGER + 2007)
List of Measurements
(x) AES - Animal Empathy Scale,
(x) ALOS-global - Active Listening Observation Scale
(x) ARC EQ 2004 (Baron-Cohen, Wheelright, 2004)
(x) ARC EQ-SQ
(x) ARC EYES TEST
(x) ARC FACES TEST
(x) ARC VOICE TEST
( ) AES -
( ) ASS - Affective Sensitivity Scale (Kagan & Schneider, 1977)
(x) BEES 1997 - Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (Mehrabian, 1997)
( ) BEES 1997 - Basic Empathy Scale (Jolliffe and FarringtCarkhuff & Truax 1967on, 2006b)
(x) BES 2006
(x) BLRI - The Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory - Empathic Understanding in Interpersonal Processe Scale, the empathy subtest
( ) California Personality Inventory, Empathy subscale (Gough, 1978).
(x) CARE - consultation and relational empathy
(x) CARKHUFF 1969 Carkhuff (1969a, 1969b)
(x) CEPS-AS - Client Emotional Processing Scale-Autism Spectrum
(X) COMPASSION SCALE
(x) CONFIRMATION
( ) CMEM -
(x) CPI Q-SORT 1961 - (Block, 1961)
(x) EAI - Empathy Assessment Index (Gerdes+ 2010)
(x) ECRS - Empathy Construct Rating Scale 0 LaMonica's (1981)
(x) EETS 1972
Ekman Facial Decoding Test
(x) EMQUE-CA - Empathy Questionnaire
( ) ESWI -
( ) Empathy Construct Rating Scale (LaMonica 1981)
( ) Empathy Test (Layton, 1979)
(x) ESS - Empathic Skill Scale
(x) ETS - Empathic Tendency Scale
( ) (F.E.S.) Fantasy Empathy Scale Stotland’s (1978)
( ) Feshbach & Roe
( ) Gazda’s Empathy Scale (1984)
(x) GREATERGOOD - Empathy Quiz
(x) HES HOGAN 196 - Hogan Empathy Scale (Hogan, 1969)
( ) HRS -
( ) IECA - Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents
( ) ISEI - Interpersonal Social Empathy Index - Elizabeth A. Segal,
(x) IRI 1980 - Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1980)
(x) JSE JEFFERSON 2001 - Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (Hojat et al. 2001)
( ) LaMonica’s Empathy Construct Rating Scale (LaMonica, 1976).
( ) Layton’s Empathy Test
( ) Lennard (1962) Relationship Inventory
( ) Emotional Empathy Scale (M.E.S.). Mehrabian (1972)
(x) MET - Multifaceted Empathy Test
(x) MDEES - Multidimensional Emotional Empathy Scale
( ) Neurobiology and Physiology of Empathy Test
( ) ODPT - Other Dyadic Perspective Taking scale
(x) PCEPS - Person Centred and Experiential Psychotherapy Scale
(x) PEERS - Peer Edmonton Empathy Recruitment Scale
(x) PES - Positive Empathy Measures
( ) PIT - pain identification task
(x) QAACEC - A Questionnaire to Assess Affective and Cognitive Empathy in Children
(x) QCAE - A Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy
( ) QMEE - Questionnaire Measure of Emotional Empathy (QMEE) (Mehrabian and Epstein, 1972)
(x) RCRS - Empathy construct rating scale
( ) RES -
( ) SES - Self-Empathy Scale
(x) SPF(IRI) 2009
( ) SDPT - Self Dyadic Perspective Taking scale
(x) SEI - Social Empathy Index
(x) SELF-COMPASSION SCALE (Neff, 2003a)
( ) S(O)DPT - Self Dyadic Perspective Taking scale
(x) TEQ - Toronto Questionnaire 2009
(x) TRUAX Accurate Empathy Scale (1961)
(x) TRUAX Accurate Empathy Scale (1963)
(x) VERA Victim Empathy Response Assessment
(x) ( YCEM -YOUNG CHILDREN'S EMPATHY MEASURE
Links to more Measures
Empathy Tests and Measurements - cultureofempathy.com
THE MEASUREMENT OF EMPATHY (BRINK 1991)
(Albiero 2009) Albiero, P., Matricardi, G., Speltri, D., & Toso, D. (2009). The assessment of empathy in adolescence: A contribution to the Italian validation of the Basic Empathy Scale. Journal of Adolescence, 32, 393-408.
(Jolliffe & Farrington 2006b)
Jolliffe, D., & Farrington, D. P. (2006b). Development and validation of the Basic Empathy Scale. Journal of Adolescence, 29, 589-611.
(Mehrabian 1997) Mehrabian, A. (1997). Relation among personality scales of aggression, violence, and empathy: Validational evidence bearing on the risk eruptive violence scale. Aggressive Behavior, 23, 433-445.
Campbell, R. J., Kagan, N., & Krathwohl, D. (1971). The development and validation of a scale to measure affective sensitivity (empathy). Journal of Counseling Psychology, 18, 407-412
Sort
\Empathy in Design Scale (EMPA-D) is a self-reported measure designed to quantify empathy in design, particularly in service design contexts. It aims to assess and develop employees' empathy towards users, contributing to user-centered design practices. The EMPA-D is a standardized instrument that can be used in both industry to improve organizational maturity and in academia to study the impact of empathy on design success
Measures of empathy in children and adolescents: A systematic review of questionnaires
16 distinct measures were identified and described. "Several approaches have been used to measure empathy, with the first instruments dating back to the 1940s, e.g., Dymond’s Scale for the Measurement of Empathic Ability[30]. "
MES: Adolescent Measure of Empathy and Sympathy;
ASD: Autism spectrum disorder;
BES: Basic Empathy Scale;
BEI: Bryant’s Empathy Index;
CASES: Cognitive, Affective and Somatic Empathy Scales;
CD: Conduct disorder
; CEAQ: Children’s Empathic Attitudes Questionnaire;
DPES: Dispositional Positive Empathy Scale;
EQ-C: Empathy Quotient for Children;
EQ: Empathy Questionnaire;
ES-PPI: Empathy Scale-Psychopathic Personality Inventory;
EtoMS: Empathy and Theory of Mind Scale;
F&T: Feeling and Thinking Scale;
GEM: Griffith Empathy Measure;
IRI: Interpersonal Reactivity Index;
SME: Scale to Measure Empathy;
TECA: Cognitive and Affective Empathy Scale (Test de Empatia Cognitiva y Afectiva);
Rogers’ hypothesis of the ‘necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change’ (1957) was formulated within the framework of logical positivism, which comprises the view that any construct to be investigated scientifically must be ‘operationally defined’ (Bickhard, 1992; Green, 1992).
by Jeff Steen | Feb 22, 2018
The Empathy Test
1. How many times over the last week did you ask a coworker how they were doing?
2. How many times over the last week did you ask your spouse about his/her day?
..
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Measuring Empathy
Autism Quotient,
EQ, Empathy Quotient (Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright, 2004). 80-item
MIE, Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test-Revised (MIE; Baron-Cohen, Wheelwright, Hill, Raste & Plumb, 2001)
PT-15 Interpersonal Perception Task-15 (IPT-15; Costanzo & Archer, 1994).
"53 unique empathy measures were identified in the 94 coded studies." (DEXTER 2012)* page 74
ABRS = Attending Behaviors Rating Scale;
AES = Accurate Empathy Scale;
Alroy = Alroy Observation Schedule;
ASS = Affective Sensitivity Scale;
BC = Behavior Count;
BEES = Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale;
BLRI = Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory;
Cark AIF = Carkhuff Assessment of Interpersonal Functioning;
CIRS = Counselor Interview Rating Scalse;
CRQ = Counselor Response Questionnaire;
ECCS = Empathic Communication Coding System;
ECRS = Empathy Construct Rating Scale;
EM = Empathy Measure;
ET = Empathy Test;
ETS = Empathic Tendency Scale;
EU = Empathic Understanding in Interpersonal Processes Scale;
HRI = Helper Response Inventory;
Index Com = Index of Communication;
Index Disc = Index of Discrimination;
IRI = Interpersonal Reactivity Index;
JSPE = Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy;
QMEE = Questionnaire Measure of Emotional Empathy;
REST = Rae Empathic Statement Test
""Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI):
28-item test, self-scored on 5-point scale. Sample item: “I would describe myself as a pretty soft-hearted person.”
Empathy Construct Rating Scale (ECRS):
100-item test, self-scored or used to rate another person on 6-point scale. Sample item: “Seems to understand another person's state of being.”
Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES):
30-item test, self-scored on 9-point scale. Sample item: “I cannot feel much sor for those who are responsible for their own misery.”
Accurate Empathy Scale (AES):
9 stages of empathy, defined using excerpts from psychotherapy transcripts, scored by trained observer. Sample stage: “Therapist accurately responds to all of the client's more readily discernible feelings. He also shows awareness of many less evident feelings and experiences, but he tends to be somewhat inaccurate in his understanding of these …“
History-taking Rating Scale (HRS):
5 items of this 16-item scale were used. Items scored by trained observer on a 4-point scale using specific criteria. Sample item: “Empathy: the student's expressed understanding of what the patient is feeling and communicating.”
Empathy, Spirituality, and Wellness in Medicine survey (ESWIM):
44-item test, self-scored on 5-point scale. Sample item: “I am a good listener.”" (STEPIEN + 2006)* Meta Study (13 Evaluated) (healthcare)
Report Categories
Self-Report
"The major criticism of self-report scales is that most depend on an intellectual self-appraisal of ability which may not be borne out behaviourally. To substantiate this criticism Kunst-Wilson and Associates (1981) can be cited. They found no agreement between selfreports of empathic ability and observer ratings of actual ability in their study on empathic ability and observer ratings of actual ability in their study on empathic perceptions of student nurses." (BRINK 1991)
Client Observer Measures
Peer Judgment
Independent Observer Judgment
Further Research
Several reviews of instruments to measure empathy are provided in the literature
From Janna Weiss
ResearchGate
COMPASSIONATE LOVE FOR HUMANITY SCALE - ResearchGate
Self Report Measures for Love and Compassion Research: Compassion/Compassionate Love. COMPASSIONATE LOVE FOR HUMANITY SCALE. Reference: Sprecher, S. & Fehr, B ...
This one, from GGSC, has the measure at the end of the article:
Greater Good Science Center (GGSC)
Compassionate love for close others and humanity
A compassionate love scale was developed that can be used, in alternative forms, to assess compassionate or altruistic love for different targets (e.g., ...
https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/Sprecher_Fehr_2005_Compassionate_love_for_close_others_and_humanity.pdf
BMC Psychology
A revised short version of the compassionate love scale for humanity ...
22 Feb 2020 ... The present study aimed to develop an abbreviated version of the CLS-H using item response theory to provide a precise and non-redundant compassion measure.
https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-020-0386-9
APA PsycNET
Compassionate Love Scale - APA PsycNET
The Compassionate Love Scale (Sprecher & Fehr, 2005) was developed to assess compassionate or altruistic love for different targets. Scale items are based ...
https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-020-0386-9
Springerhttps://link.springer.com › 10.1007 › 978-3-030-77644-2_37-1
The Compassionate Love Scale | SpringerLink
18 Jan 2022 ... A Compassionate Love scale (CLS) was developed (Sprecher & Fehr, 2005) that can be used, in alternative forms, to assess compassionate or ...
https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-030-77644-2_37-1
ResearchGate
COMPASSIONATE LOVE FOR HUMANITY SCALE - ResearchGate
Self Report Measures for Love and Compassion Research: Compassion/Compassionate Love. COMPASSIONATE LOVE FOR HUMANITY SCALE. Reference: Sprecher, S. & Fehr, B ...
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For the opposite of empathy, I recommend Gould's Splitting Index - I did unpublished research comparing the Davis IRI to Gould's Splitting Index.
With a measure that is NOT empathy, you can show what IS empathy, and what is NOT empathy.
It's a good idea to measure mutual empathy, or empathy as experienced in the Empathy Circle (and defined by it).