Exploring empathic space: correlates of perspective transformation ability and biases in spatial attention.

ABSTRACT: Separate lines of research have noted recruitment of parietal cortex during tasks involving visuo-spatial processes and empathy. To explore the relationship between these two functions, a self-other perspective transformation task and a task of spatial attention (line bisection) were administered to 40 healthy participants (19 women). Performance on these tasks was examined in relation to self-reported empathy. Rightward biases in line bisection correlated positively with trait-level self-reported empathic concern, suggesting a left hemisphere mediation of this prosocial personality trait. Unexpectedly, speed of perspective taking in the self-other transformation task correlated negatively with empathic concern, but only in women, which we interpret in light of gender differences in empath

SUBMITTER: Thakkar KN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2688758 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature