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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice

Published on: November 22, 2024

Social categorization and empathy for outgroup members.

Mark Tarrant¹, Sarah Dazeley, Tom Cottom

¹Keele University, Staffordshire, UK. m.tarrant@keele.ac.uk

The British Journal of Social Psychology

|November 13, 2008

Summary

Social categorization influences empathy. Participants showed more empathy for ingroup members, but this increased for outgroup members when ingroup norms encouraged empathy, also improving attitudes toward the outgroup.

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Area of Science:

Social Psychology
Cognitive Psychology

Background:

Social categorization, the process of dividing people into groups, significantly impacts social cognition and emotion.
Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is a crucial aspect of social interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how social categorization affects the experience of empathy.
To examine whether ingroup norms can modulate empathy towards outgroup members.

Main Methods:

Three experiments involving 370 university students were conducted.
Participants reported empathy and helping intentions towards individuals describing distress.
Ingroup norms regarding empathy expression were activated in Experiments 2 and 3.

Main Results:

Participants reported higher empathy and helping intentions for ingroup members compared to outgroup members.
Activating ingroup norms prescribing empathy increased empathy for outgroup members.
This norm activation also led to more positive outgroup attitudes, mediated by empathy.

Conclusions:

Social categorization processes significantly influence the experience and expression of empathy.
Empathy is not solely an automatic response but can be modulated by social norms and group affiliations.
Findings suggest that promoting ingroup norms can enhance empathy and positive attitudes toward outgroups.