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Cited by 1,014Empathy and Medical EducationAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesAutism Spectrum Disorder Research

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 24 of the 24 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Measuring empathy: reliability and validity of the Empathy Quotient

LAWRENCE, E. J., SHAW, P., BAKER, D., BARON-COHEN, S., DAVID, A. S.·2004·Psychological Medicine
DOI 10.1017/s0033291703001624
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Abstract

Background. Empathy plays a key role in social understanding, but its empirical measurement has proved difficult. The Empathy Quotient (EQ) is a self-report scale designed to do just that. This series of four studies examined the reliability and validity of the EQ and determined its factor structure. Method. In Study 1, 53 people completed the EQ, Social Desirability Scale (SDS) and a non-verbal mental state inference test, the Eyes Task. In Study 2, a principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted on data from 110 healthy individuals and 62 people reporting depersonalisation (DPD). Approximately 1 year later, Study 3, involved the re-administration of the EQ ( n =24) along with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; n =28). In the last study, the EQ scores of those with DPD, a condition that includes a subjective lack of empathy, were examined in depth. Results. An association was found between the Eyes task and EQ, and only three EQ items correlated with the SDS. PCA revealed three factors: (1) ‘cognitive empathy’; (2) ‘emotional reactivity’, and (3) ‘social skills’. Test–retest reliability was good and moderate associations were found between the EQ and IRI subscales, suggesting concurrent validity. People with DPD did not show a global empathy deficit, but reported less social competence. Conclusions. The EQ is a valid, reliable scale and the different subscales may have clinical applications.

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Metadata

Authors
LAWRENCE, E. J., SHAW, P., BAKER, D., BARON-COHEN, S., & DAVID, A. S.
Affiliations
University of Cambridge (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Psychological Medicine
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
2004-07
Volume
34
Issue
5
Pages
911-920
ISSN
  • 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-8978
DOI
10.1017/s0033291703001624
OpenAlex
W1976994271
Cited by
1,014
References
24
Citations by year
2026: 38 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 56 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 57 · 2021: 72 · 2020: 114 · 2019: 62 · 2018: 65 · 2017: 58 · 2016: 64 · 2015: 66 · 2014: 42 · 2013: 57 · 2012: 37
FWCI
5.85
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 6 d)
Locations
  • Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Empathy and Medical Education
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Keywords
Empathy Quotient, empathy measurement, self-report scale, reliability statistics, validity, factor structure, cognitive empathy, emotional reactivity, social skills, depersonalization, social desirability, mental state inference, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, social competence
MeSH terms
Adult, Empathy, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Desirability, Reproducibility of Results

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