Results and Comments
There is some debate with regards to the structure of the EQ. Baron-Cohen and Wheelwright (2004) based the
scale on a model of empathy as having both affective and cognitive components. However, some evidence sug-
gests that the scale may consist of three factors (Lawrence, 2004; Muncer & Ling, 2006 ).Reniers et al. (2012)
pointed out that the EQ items tend to focus more on measuring the empathetic process rather than the empathy
construct itself.
EQ SAMPLE ITEMS
Cognitive empathy questions
I can easily work out what another person might
want to talk about
I am good at predicting how someone will feel
Affective empathy questions
Seeing people cry doesn’t really upset meI usually stay emotionally detached when watching
a film
Notes : Items are rated on a 4-point scale with the
response options of ‘ Strongly agree ’; ‘Slightly agree ’;
‘Slightly disagree ’t o‘ Strongly disagree ’.
Feeling and Thinking Scale (FTS)
(Garton & Gringart, 2005 ).
Variable
The FTS is an adaptation of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI, Davis, 1980 ) for use with children. The IRI
contains four independent subscales labeled: Empathic Concern, Perspective Taking, Personal Distress, and
Fantasy.
Description
The IRI items were reworded to be more easily understood by children. Item 16 (Fantasy subscale) and all
reverse worded items were removed as they were too difficult for children to comprehend. The final FTS scale
comprised 18 of the IRI items including four Empathetic Concern items, four Perspective-Taking items, six
Personal Distress items, and four Fantasy items (see Garton & Gringart, 2005 ).
Sample
The initial sample used by Garton and Gringart (2005) comprised 413 children (194 girls and 219 boys, aged
from 7.11 to 9.11 years).
Reliability
Internal Consistency
FTS items reflecting affective and cognitive components of empathy exhibited Cronbach alpha coefficients of
.69 and .54 respectively ( Garton & Gringart, 2005 ). Likewise, Kokkino and Kipritsi (2012) reported alpha coeffi-
cients of .53 and.56 (for cognitive and affective components), and .68 for the total scale.
Test/C0Retest
Test/C0retest reliability coefficients for the FTS are not currently available.
Validity
Convergent/Concurrent
The FTS total scale score correlated positively with self-efficacy ( r5.22), social self-efficacy ( r5.27), and aca-
demic self-efficacy ( r5.23) ( Kokkinos & Kipritsi, 2012 ).264 10. MEASURES OF EMPATHY: SELF-REPORT , BEHAVIORAL, AND NEUROSCIENTIFIC APPROACHES
III. EMOTION REGULATION