The Mediating Role of Eye Gaze Behaviour Between Trait  Affective Empathy and Empathic Accuracy

Research has shown that trait affective empathy and empathic accuracy as well as trait affective empathy and eye gaze behaviour are positively correlated. Furthermore, it is known that the eye region is highly expressive by portraying a wide range of social clues including feelings, expectations and information about interpersonal relationships. It is therefore possible that people who have higher levels of trait affective empathy have higher levels of empathic accuracy because they tend to look more towards the eyes of another person. The current study, therefore, investigates whether eye gaze behaviour mediates the relationship between trait affective empathy and empathic accuracy. A sample of 110 adults filled in the subscale “empathic concern” of the IRI (Davis, 1983) and did a computerized empathic accuracy task inspired by Aan het Rot and Hogenelst (2014) while being eye tracked. Trait affective empathy was found to positively correlate with eye gaze behaviour. Yet, trait...Show moreResearch has shown that trait affective empathy and empathic accuracy as well as trait affective empathy and eye gaze behaviour are positively correlated. Furthermore, it is known that the eye region is highly expressive by portraying a wide range of social clues including feelings, expectations and information about interpersonal relationships. It is therefore possible that people who have higher levels of trait affective empathy have higher levels of empathic accuracy because they tend to look more towards the eyes of another person. The current study, therefore, investigates whether eye gaze behaviour mediates the relationship between trait affective empathy and empathic accuracy. A sample of 110 adults filled in the subscale “empathic concern” of the IRI (Davis, 1983) and did a computerized empathic accuracy task inspired by Aan het Rot and Hogenelst (2014) while being eye tracked. Trait affective empathy was found to positively correlate with eye gaze behaviour. Yet, trait affective empathy and empathic accuracy as well as eye gaze behaviour and empathic accuracy were not found to significantly correlate. The primary explanation is therefore that people who have higher levels of trait affective empathy tend to look more towards the eye region, which is in line with the past findings, but are not more empathically accurate. That trait affective empathy and empathic accuracy were not found to correlate is in contrast to past investigations. Alternative explanations, possible threats to validity, suggestions for future investigation and implication for the clinical field are discussed.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

The Mediating Role of Eye Gaze Behaviour Between Trait Affective Empathy and Empathic Accuracy