IS EMPATHY-INDUCED HELPING DUE TO SELF-OTHER MERGING

Two experiments tested the idea that empathy-induced helping is due to self-other merging. To manipulate empathy, half of the participants i n each experiment received instructions to remain objective while hear ing about a young woman in need (low-empathy condition), and half rece ived instructions to imagine her feelings (high-empathy condition). To check generality of the empathy-helping relationship, half in each em pathy condition learned that the young woman was a student at their un iversity (shared group membership), and half learned that she was a st udent at a rival university (unshared group membership). Self-reported empathy for and willingness to help the young woman were assessed, an d 3 measures of self-other merging were taken. In each experiment, an empathy-helping relationship was found, unqualified by group membershi p, that could not be accounted for by any of the merging measures.