Supplementary information S2 | Reliability, clinical validity and norms for measures of affective empathy
Test
Empathic
Concern1,2
Empathy
Quotient24
Reliability
Internal consistency*
α = 0.68–0.73,1 0.70,3 0.80,4
0.74,5 0.81,6 0.64,7 0.77,8 0.80–
0.86,9 0.73,10 0.7611 and 0.73.12
ρY = 0.68 to 0.74.13
Test-retest
Mean intervals of:
60–75 days, rs = 0.70–0.72,1
60 days, r = 0.80–0.89,11
12 months, ICC = 0.77.3
Internal consistency‡
α = 0.92,24 0.85,25 0.86,26 0.81,27
0.78–0.83,28 0.78–0.81,29 0.79,30
0.87,31 0.78–0.80,32 0.86,33 0.80,34
0.89,35 0.88,4 0.87,36 0.88,37
0.83,38 0.88–0.90,39 0.885 and
0.88–0.89.40
Test-retest
Mean intervals of:
1 year, r = 0.97,24
10–12 months, r = 0.84,41
6–24 weeks, r = 0.93,27
4 weeks, r = 0.84,28
1 month, r = 0.85,30
15 months, r = 0.78.35
Internal consistency
α = of 0.71–0.92,48 and 0.78–
0.97.20
Clinical validity
People with autism often report lower empathic
concern than do controls,14,7 but exceptions
have been noted.15
People with bvFTD16 and TBI17 also often
report reduced empathic concern. Caregivers of
people with bvFTD also report lower empathic
concern relative to premorbid levels.18
People with schizophrenia often do not differ
from controls,19––22 although one study did
identify self-rated empathic impairment.23
Discriminates between people with autism and
controls.14,24,26,28,38,42–45
Discriminates between people with
schizophrenia and controls,46 although this
might only be true for informant-rating (not
self-rating).47
Norms
Extensive
research base.
Population
Adults
Extensive
research base.
No formal
norms, but a
cut-off score of
30 has been
suggested.24
Adult, child and
adolescent
versions, short
version
available39
Two studies indicate that people with autism
Emerging
Adults
are impaired on the MET cognitive empathy
evidence base.
component; one found no autism-related
impairment in MET affective empathy,48 the
other identified deficits specific to negative
stimuli.49
The affective and cognitive components of the
MET elicit distinct patterns of neural activity.50
People with bvFTD exhibit global impairment
on MET cognitive empathy, and specific
deficiencies in MET affective empathy.51
People with schizophrenia exhibit deficits in
MET cognitive empathy but not MET affective
empathy.20 The reverse profile has been
identified in other groups,52,53 and people with
borderline personality disorder are impaired on
both components.54
*Where estimates of reliability are provided for versions of the Empathic Concern subscale that vary considerably from the original, these are
not reported here.55–59 ‡The reliability data reported here refers to the adult version; reliability data are also available for the child and adolescent
versions.44,45,60 α refers to Cronbach’s alpha, mean interval refers to average interval between testing occasions, ρY provides an estimate of
internal reliabilities, ICC refers to intraclass correlation coefficient. Abbreviations: bvFTD, behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia; TBI,
traumatic brain injury.
Multifaceted
Empathy Test
(MET)48
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