Adolescents with higher empathic accuracy report higher empathic concern, and improvements in the two track together over training¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Design limits · Kral 2018: no comparison group (read from the study by two models, 2026-10-27)

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Across all participants at baseline, higher empathic accuracy was associated with higher self-reported empathic concern (r = 0.28). → Kral 2018 q3 i2 Changes in empathic accuracy and changes in empathic concern were positively associated across the intervention (r = 0.30), though there was no group difference in empathic concern change. → Kral 2018 (2)

Evidence¶

Kral 2018¶

Kral, T. R. A., Stodola, D. E., Birn, R. M., Mumford, J. A., Solis, E., Flook, L., Patsenko, E. G., Anderson, C. G., Steinkuehler, C. & Davidson, R. J. (2018). Neural correlates of video game empathy training in adolescents: a randomized trial. npj Science of Learning 3:13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-018-0029-6

q3 · i2 · causal · r2

Baseline correlational analysis across the randomized trial sample confirmed a cross-sectional relationship between the behavioral empathic accuracy task and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index empathic concern subscale, r = 0.28, p = 0.016.

"participants with higher empathic accuracy had higher self-reported empathic concern ( t(72) = 2.47, p = 0.016, b = 4.64, CI = [0.90, 8.39], r = 0.28)"

Kral 2018 (2)¶

Kral, T. R. A., Stodola, D. E., Birn, R. M., Mumford, J. A., Solis, E., Flook, L., Patsenko, E. G., Anderson, C. G., Steinkuehler, C. & Davidson, R. J. (2018). Neural correlates of video game empathy training in adolescents: a randomized trial. npj Science of Learning 3:13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-018-0029-6

q3 · i2 · causal · r2

Change-score correlational analysis found support for the hypothesized association between gains in empathic accuracy and gains in self-reported empathic concern, r = 0.30, p = 0.03; the group difference in empathic concern change itself was non-significant (t(68) = 0.15, p = 0.88).

"We tested whether there was an association between changes in empathic accuracy and empathic concern, and found support for this hypothesis ( t(70) = 2.23, p = 0.03, b = 2.99, CI = [0.31, 5.67], r = 0.30"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Playing the empathy training game Crystals of Kaydor produced no greater improvement in adolescents' empathic accuracy than playing the commercial control game Bastion — related
• Adolescents who engaged more with Crystals' empathy training mechanics showed greater increases in empathic accuracy-related RTPJ activation, controlling for total playtime — related
• Improvements in empathic accuracy after Crystals gameplay were associated with strengthened amygdala–MPFC resting-state connectivity relative to Bastion — related