The contribution of emotional empathy to approachability judgments assigned to emotional faces is context specific

9Citations
Citations of this article
48Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Previous research on approachability judgments has indicated that facial expressions modulate how these judgments are made, but the relationship between emotional empathy and context in this decision-making process has not yet been examined. This study examined the contribution of emotional empathy to approachability judgments assigned to emotional faces in different contexts. One-hundred and twenty female participants completed the questionnaire measure of emotional empathy. Participants provided approachability judgments to faces displaying angry, disgusted, fearful, happy, neutral, and sad expressions, in three different contexts-when evaluating whether they would approach another individual to: (1) receive help; (2) give help; or (3) when no contextual information was provided. In addition, participants were also required to provide ratings of perceived threat, emotional intensity and label facial expressions. Emotional empathy significantly predicted approachability ratings for specific emotions in each context, over and above the contribution of perceived threat and intensity, which were associated with emotional empathy. Higher emotional empathy predicted less willingness to approach people with angry and disgusted faces to receive help, and a greater willingness to approach people with happy faces to receive help. Higher emotional empathy also predicted a greater willingness to approach people with sad faces to offer help, and more willingness to approach people with happy faces when no contextual information was provided. These results highlight the important contribution of individual differences in emotional empathy in predicting how approachability judgments are assigned to facial expressions in context.

References Powered by Scopus

Power, Approach, and Inhibition

2595Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

The Relation of Empathy to Prosocial and Related Behaviors

1851Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

First impressions: Making up your mind after a 100-ms exposure to a face

1802Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Immediate relativity: EEG reveals early engagement of comparison in social information processing

14Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Recognition of Facial Expressions of Emotion and Depressive Symptoms among Caregivers with Different Levels of Empathy

13Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Psychosocial adaptation under adverse experiences: A study on the role of empathy with adolescents from vulnerable contexts in Brazil

3Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Willis, M. L., Lawson, D. L., Ridley, N. J., Koval, P., & Rendell, P. G. (2015). The contribution of emotional empathy to approachability judgments assigned to emotional faces is context specific. Frontiers in Psychology, 6(AUG). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01209

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 15

65%

Researcher 4

17%

Professor / Associate Prof. 2

9%

Lecturer / Post doc 2

9%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Psychology 23

79%

Agricultural and Biological Sciences 3

10%

Business, Management and Accounting 2

7%

Design 1

3%

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free