The Research Of Intra-out Group Effect On Empathy For Pain

Objective:The research designed to investigate how is the intra-out group effect on the empathy for pain to others under general social group and minimal group conditions, and to explore which plays a major role when the cognitive and affective components of trait empathy act on the process of people’s empathy for pain.Methods:Experiment1:48effective participants were selected from Psychology group and Educational Technology group. Firstly, the Interpersonal Reactions Index scale was given to all participants. Then, we required them to run the computer programs about pain judgment tasks. Finally, let them complete the Group Propensity Rating scale(20-item adjective rating scale). The above was to examine that how is the intra-out group effect on empathy for pain to others under general social group condition and which plays a major role when the cognitive and affective component of trait empathy act on the process of people’s empathy for pain.Experiment2:56effective participants were selected from university students. Firstly, the Interpersonal Reactions Index scale was given to all participants. Then minimal groups were made after all participants completed a False Personality Questionnaire. After that, we required them to run the computer programs about pain judgment tasks. Finally, let them complete the Group Propensity Rating scale(20-item adjective rating scale). The above was to examine that how is the intra-out group effect on the empathy for pain to others under minimal group condition and which plays a major role when the cognitive and affective component of trait empathy act on the process of people’s empathy for pain.Results:Experiment1:On the pain score of pain judgment tasks, there is a significant main effect between pain stimulus and non-pain stimulus as well as in-group and out-group perspective. There is a significant interaction effect between stimulus(pain, non-pain) and object perspective(in-group, out-group). Adopting further simple effect analysis, we know that there is a significant simple effect between in-group and out-group on the pain stimulus level. Compared with pain rating score to out-group members, there is higher pain rating score to in-group members. On the reaction time of pain judgment tasks, there is a significant main effect between pain stimulus and non-pain stimulus. And, there is a significant interaction effect between stimulus and object perspective. Adopting further simple effect analysis, we know that there is a significant simple effect between pain stimulus and non-pain stimulus on object perspective levels. Compared with the difference between the reaction time to pain stimulus and the reaction time to non-pain stimulus on out-group perspective level, the difference between reaction time to pain and reaction time to non-pain is significant shorter on in-group perspective level. The correlations between the affective component(Empathic Concern, Personal Distress) subscale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and the performance of pain judgment tasks is more, compared with the correlations between the cognitive component(Perspective taking, Fantasy) subscale and the performance of pain judgment tasks.Experiment2:On the pain score of pain judgment tasks, there is a significant main effect between pain stimulus and non-pain stimulus as well as in-group and out-group perspective. There is a significant interaction effect between stimulus(pain, non-pain) and object perspective(in-group, out-group). Adopting further simple effect analysis, we know that there is a significant simple effect between in-group and out-group on the pain stimulus level. Compared with pain rating score to out-group members, there is higher rating score to in-group members. On the reaction time of pain judgment tasks, there is a significant main effect between pain stimulus and non-pain stimulus, as well as in-group and out-group perspective. There is a significant interaction effect between stimulus(pain, non-pain) and object perspective(in-group, out-group). Adopting further simple effect analysis, we know that there is a significant simple effect between in-group and out-group on the pain stimulus level. Compared with the reaction time to out-group perspective, the reaction time to in-group perspective is significant shorter on the pain stimulus level. The correlations between the affective component(Empathic Concern, Personal Distress) subscale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and the performance of pain judgment tasks is more, compared with the correlations between the cognitive component(Perspective taking, Fantasy) subscale and the performance of pain judgment tasks.Conclusions:1. Under the general social group condition, participants’empathy for pain to others is in-group favoritism.2. Under the minimal group condition, participants’empathy for pain to others is in-group favoritism.3. When the cognitive and affective component of trait empathy act on the process of people’s empathy for pain, the affective component plays a major role.