1992/01/01 by Robert W. Levenson, Anna Marie Ruef · 9 citations
Medicine · Psychology · Arts and Humanities · #Empathy and Medical Education #Behavioral Health and Interventions #Media Influence and Health #Psychology #Spouse #Feeling #Empathy #Linkage (software) #Conversation #Social psychology #Developmental psychology #Communication
paper · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.63.2.234
openalex publication_date 1992/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
The relation between empathy (defined as the ability to perceive accurately how another person is feeling) and physiology was studied in 31 Ss. Ss viewed 15-min martial interactions and used a rating dial to indicate continuously how they thought a designated spouse was feeling. Rating accuracy was determined by comparing Ss' ratings with identical self-ratings obtained previously from the target spouse. Physiological linkage between S and target was determined using bivariate time-series analyses applied to 5 autonomic and somatic measures obtained from the S during the rating task and from the target spouse during the original conversation. Accuracy of rating negative emotion was greatest when S and target evidenced high levels of physiological linkage across time. Accuracy of detecting positive emotion was related to a state of low cardiovascular around in the S, but not to physiological linkage between S and target.