Emotional Arousal and Visual Attention: An Eye Tracking Study Defining Human Rights and Moral Foundations
The purpose of this project is to describe the emotional arousal exhibited while reading accounts of political violence. Research questions: Do these visual search patterns correlate with scores on an empathy measure? Is morality associated with word-reading and attending to specific words and phrases? Length of time spent looking at work, speed at which read, and pupil dilation are metrics we can correlate with psychological assessments measuring empathy and morality. This research is significant in understanding how visual processing is related to emotional expression. By understanding how visual search patterns are related to emotional responses, we can target reading materials that evoke positive expressions.
Fictional narrative experiences play an important part in how readers identify with characters in the stories, which creates perspective taking and therefore increases empathetic responses. When the reading experiences involve empathy, readers are able to participate in the characters’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes from a first-person perspective. Implications are well-supported, suggesting that reading has a profound effect on empathy, behavior, and neurological functioning.
This research has been funded in part by a Research Grant with the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP).
Study 1: Title: Gender Differences and the Role Depression Plays in the Expression of Empathy
Authors: Aana Blaszka (Utica University psychology student, undergraduate), Kaylee Seddio, Ph.D. (PI)
Short Abstract:
In this study we assessed group differences between males and females on expressions of empathy and depressive symptoms in response to a stressor. The results of this study showed that men and women report similar levels of depression, but women exhibited statistically significantly more personal distress when their depression was higher when compared to men. These results are meaningful because it offers a new perspective on the way that psychologists view and treat depression.
To read more, visit: EPA 2023 Empathy/Depression Long Abstract
Study 2: Empathic Concern and Moral Care: Implications for Healthcare Professionals
Authors: Mary Quinn (Utica University Occupational Therapy student, undergraduate), Kaylee Seddio, Ph.D. (PI)
Short Abstract:
Our research examined relationships between moral foundations of care and empathic concern. We found that intuitive care statistically significantly predicted empathic concern for others following exposure to an emotional stressor. Results suggest that engaging in harm reduction and care-based behaviors may improve outcomes related to empathic concern. Implications for healthcare professionals are discussed as well as identifying methods for which individuals may benefit from specific empathy-based interventions.
To read more, visit: EPA 2023 Empathy/Healthcare Long Abstract