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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

Measuring individual differences in trait sympathy: instrument construction and validation.

Sherman A Lee¹

¹Department of Psychology, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA 23606-2998, USA. sherman.lee@cnu.edu

Journal of Personality Assessment

|October 20, 2009

Summary

This study introduces the Trait Sympathy Scales (TSS), a new self-report measure for assessing individuals' tendency to feel sorrow for others. The TSS demonstrates strong reliability and validity, offering an improved tool for measuring empathic concern.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

Area of Science:

Psychology
Social Psychology
Personality Psychology

Background:

Measuring individual differences in empathy is crucial for understanding social behavior.
Existing measures may have limitations in scope or psychometric properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To construct and validate a multifaceted, self-report measure of trait sympathy.
To provide an improved instrument for assessing concern for the suffering of others.

Main Methods:

Development and validation of the Trait Sympathy Scales (TSS) across three studies.
Assessment of reliability, content, factorial, construct-related, convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity.

Main Results:

The Trait Sympathy Scales (TSS) demonstrated strong reliability across all studies.
The TSS exhibited robust validity, including content, factorial, construct-related, convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity.
The TSS showed advantages compared to existing measures like Davis's Empathic Concern subscale.

Conclusions:

The Trait Sympathy Scales (TSS) are a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring trait sympathy.
The TSS offers a valuable and potentially superior alternative for assessing concern for others' suffering.