On the difficulty of distinguishing "good" and "poor" perceivers: A socialrelations analysis of empathic accuracy data

Two studies were conducted to explore the reasons why replicable individual -difference correlates of empathic accuracy have proved so difficult to fin d. In Study I, we examined sources of variance in empathic accuracy data us ing the Social Relations Model (Kenny, 1988, 1994; Kenny & Albright, 1987; Malloy & Kenny, 1986). The results revealed substantial perceiver Variance only in the type of research design in which a relatively large set of indi vidual perceivers inferred the thoughts and feelings of the same set of tar get persons. In Study 2, we found evidence that even in this apparently opt imal type of research design, the significant individual-difference correla tes of empathic accuracy were fewer and subject to more unexpected qualific ations than the results of Davis and Kraus's (1997) meta-analysis would sug gest. So far, the "best candidate" predictor of empathic accuracy appears t o be Verbal intelligence, but it remains to be seen whether it and two othe r recently proposed predictors of interpersonal accuracy will survive the t est of replicability.