Lecture 7 Flashcards
1
Q
Interpersonal Communication in Children
A
- At the heart of interpersonal communication: Children learn to infer thoughts and goals from a young age.
- Empathic accuracy refers to inferring thoughts, goals, and attention accurately without verbal communication.
- Children spontaneously act on their inferences to help others.
2
Q
Empathic Accuracy Measurement
A
- Dyadic interaction paradigm: Two people discuss a topic, and both independently note thoughts, intentions, emotions, and goals during a video playback.
- Independent raters compare lists, and higher overlap indicates greater empathic accuracy.
- Thomas & Fletcher (2003) study found empathic accuracy increases with closeness in relationships.
3
Q
Men’s Empathic Accuracy
A
- Klein & Hodges adjusted the paradigm, offering rewards for empathic accuracy, eliminating gender differences.
- Tomas & Maio’s motivation experiment showed men possess empathic accuracy but may lack motivation.
- Empathic accuracy is trainable.
4
Q
Training Empathic Accuracy
A
- Empathy can be trained through systematic thinking rather than relying solely on intuition.
- Closer relationships and higher empathy contribute to better empathic accuracy.
- Oxytocin can enhance empathic accuracy, even in individuals with low autism scores.
5
Q
Relationship between Empathy and Emapthic Accuracy
A
- Zaki, Bolger & Ochsner found a linear relationship between empathy and empathic accuracy when the other person is expressive.
- Empathic accuracy is consistent for individuals with low and high empathy if the other’s expression is unreadable.
6
Q
Empathic Accuracy and Relationship Satisfaction
A
- Mixed results in studies linking empathic accuracy to relationship satisfaction.
- Winczweski’s study on romantic couples showed the importance of empathic concern in perceived responsiveness.
7
Q
Threatening Thoughts and Empathic Accuracy
A
- Partners with empathic accuracy may face distress if the partner harbors threatening thoughts.
- The danger zone: Low empathic accuracy maintains satisfaction when partners conceal thoughts.
8
Q
Attachment and Empathic Accuracy
A
- Securely attached individuals are generally higher in empathic accuracy.
- Attachment avoidance may lower empathic accuracy, while attachment anxiety may heighten it in threatening situations.
9
Q
Sex Differences in Empathic Accuracy
A
- Sex differences are based on motivation rather than ability.
- Empathic accuracy’s impact on relationship satisfaction depends on various factors.
10
Q
Egocentric Bias in Senders
A
- Senders overestimate others’ ability to understand their thoughts, termed egocentric bias.
- The illusion of transparency: The belief that one’s feelings are transparent to others.
11
Q
Empathy Gap
A
- The empathy gap is the difference between senders’ estimated accuracy and actual receiver accuracy.
- The gap is more significant in close relationships where partners expect a deep understanding.
12
Q
Communication Medium and Empathy Gap
A
- The empathy gap is larger in email communication than face-to-face.
- Communicating ambiguous information via email can lead to misinterpretation.
13
Q
Awareness of Egocentric Biases
A
- Awareness of egocentric biases is crucial in reducing miscommunication.
- Senders often interpret receivers as misunderstanding due to egocentric biases.
14
Q
External Factors in Miscommunication
A
- Miscommunication is often influenced by external factors rather than mistakes by the sender or receiver.
15
Q
Inhibition of Retaliatory Responses
A
- Inhibition of retaliatory responses decreases rumination.
- Careful reading of questions is essential for understanding.
