ERIC Number: EJ815562
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1446-5442
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Development of a Scale to Measure Empathy in 8- and 9-Year Old Children
Garton, Alison F.; Gringart, Eyal
Australian Journal of Educational & Developmental Psychology, v5 p17-25 2005
Empathy has been suggested to facilitate effective collaborative problem solving in children. The current study adapted the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI, Davis, 1980), a well-validated empathy measure for adults, for use with children aged 8 and 9 years. Four hundred and thirteen school children aged between 7;11 and 9;11 years completed the new measure, "Feeling and Thinking" (F&T) aimed at measuring both the affective and cognitive components of empathy. Principal Components Analysis with Varimax rotation produced a clear and logical four factor solution that resembled but did not duplicate the IRI. Further scrutiny reduced the scale to a more parsimonious 12 item, two factor scale representing the two components of empathy. It is suggested that F&T is capable of measuring empathy in children. Further psychometric investigations of the F&T will enhance knowledge of the affective/cognitive distinction in empathy. (Contains 3 tables.)
Descriptors: Measures (Individuals), Factor Analysis, Psychometrics, Empathy, Test Construction, Cooperative Learning, Problem Solving, Affective Behavior, Cognitive Processes, Test Validity, Test Reliability, Elementary School Students
University of Newcastle. School of Education, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. e-mail: ajedp@newcastle.edu.au; Web site: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/group/ajedp
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Interpersonal Reactivity Index
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A