Cognitive and projective measures of differentiation and their relationship to empathy

Abstract

The present investigation compared cognitive and projective methods of assessing “differentiation,” Witkin's Embedded Figures Test (EFT) and Blatt's Concept of the Object Scale (COS), and reexamined expectations concerning the relationship between level of differentiation and capacity for empathy. Whether lesser or greater differentiation would promote empathy was of specific interest. Two forms of empathy were investigated, an “affective” form assessed by the Mehrabian Empathy Scale and a “cognitive” form assessed by the Hogan Empathy Scale. Expected sex differences in differentiation and empathy were also investigated. Results demonstrated consonance between COS and EFT measures of differentiation within the male sample only ( p < .05). Individuals classified by EFT as relatively less differentiated (“field dependent”) produced more part object responses ( p < .02) and those classified as more differentiated (“field independent”) showed a trend toward more whole object responses ( p < .10) on the COS. Associations between measures of differentiation and empathy reached significance or showed trends in the male group only. Men with relatively lesser differentiation on the EFT (“field dependent”) showed greater “affective empathy” ( p < .10) and men with greater differentiation on the COS showed greater “cognitive” empathy ( p < .05). Women demonstrated higher levels of “affective” empathy than men ( p < .001).