Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Empathy02:34

Empathy

9.1K
Some researchers suggest that altruism operates on empathy. Empathy is the capacity to understand another person’s perspective, to feel what he or she feels. An empathetic person makes an emotional connection with others and feels compelled to help (Batson, 1991). Empathy can be expressed in several ways, including cognitive, affective, and motor. 
9.1K
Cognitive Development During Adolescence01:18

Cognitive Development During Adolescence

1.0K
During adolescence, individuals experience significant cognitive development that enhances their understanding of others' emotions and thoughts, known as cognitive empathy. This period is marked by an increased ability to adapt to others' perspectives and a more nuanced understanding of others' mental states, a skill that is foundational for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. The development of cognitive empathy relies heavily on the theory of mind — the...
1.0K
Motivational Bias01:25

Motivational Bias

493
Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...
493
Antisocial Personality Disorder01:24

Antisocial Personality Disorder

1.4K
Antisocial personality disorder is a chronic mental health condition characterized by persistent patterns of disregard for the rights and well-being of others. Individuals with antisocial personality disorder exhibit behaviors that include deceitfulness, impulsivity, irresponsibility, aggression, and a profound lack of empathy. These traits often manifest early in life and persist into adulthood, leading to significant personal, social, and legal consequences.
Behavioral Characteristics and...
1.4K
Dark Triad and Person Perception01:29

Dark Triad and Person Perception

529
Person perception is influenced by both external behaviors and the observer’s internal characteristics, including personality traits. Individuals with dark personality traits, comprising psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism — collectively known as the dark triad – exhibit manipulative and exploitative tendencies in social contexts. These traits affect how they perceive others and how they are perceived.The Role of Dark Personality Traits in Person PerceptionBlack et...
529
Egoism and Altruism01:55

Egoism and Altruism

91.3K
Voluntary behavior with the intent to help other people is called prosocial behavior. Why do people help other people? Is personal benefit such as feeling good about oneself the only reason people help one another?
91.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Motor activation in cue-guided behavior: Neural evidence from human Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT).

NeuroImage·2026
Same author

Neural representations of perceived engagement during action observation.

NeuroImage·2026
Same author

Ultrasound-transparent neural interfaces for multimodal interaction.

Npj flexible electronics·2026
Same author

Nonlinear sound-sheet microscopy: Imaging opaque organs at the capillary and cellular scale.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2025
Same author

Neurobiology of social interactions across species.

Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews·2025
Same author

Cortical Beta Power Reflects the Influence of Pavlovian Cues on Human Decision-Making.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2024
Same journal

Misinformation as strategy: Epistemic consequences and the undermining of shared truth.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026
Same journal

Geographical psychology: Spatial variation in psychological phenomena and their consequences.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026
Same journal

Multi-brain neurofeedback: what are we training for?

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026
Same journal

The developing vocal self.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026
Same journal

Searching beyond decrements: Attentional guidance across the adult lifespan.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026
Same journal

Looking into working memory through micro eye movements.

Trends in cognitive sciences·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 3, 2026

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice
04:14

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice

Published on: November 22, 2024

1.3K

Dissociating the ability and propensity for empathy.

Christian Keysers1, Valeria Gazzola2

  • 1Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|February 4, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study differentiates the ability to empathize from the propensity to empathize, finding the latter better predicts costly helping behaviors in conditions like psychopathy.

More Related Videos

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
09:55

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Published on: March 8, 2018

11.4K
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition
16:08

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Published on: February 1, 2012

15.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 3, 2026

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice
04:14

Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice

Published on: November 22, 2024

1.3K
Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
09:55

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Published on: March 8, 2018

11.4K
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition
16:08

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Published on: February 1, 2012

15.5K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Social Neuroscience

Background:

  • Neuroimaging studies indicate individuals with psychopathy exhibit reduced neural responses when witnessing pain.
  • This response is less pronounced when empathy is explicitly requested, suggesting a nuanced understanding of empathy is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To distinguish between the ability and propensity to empathize.
  • To highlight the importance of this distinction in understanding psychiatric disorders like psychopathy and autism.
  • To propose avenues for social neuroscience research on empathy.

Main Methods:

  • The study is primarily theoretical, drawing on existing neuroimaging and psychological literature.
  • It proposes a conceptual framework for understanding empathy.

Main Results:

  • The ability-propensity distinction is critical for characterizing empathy deficits in psychopathy and autism.
  • Propensity for empathy is a stronger predictor of costly helping behaviors than empathy ability.
  • This framework offers new directions for empirical investigation.

Conclusions:

  • The ability-propensity distinction is essential for a comprehensive understanding of empathy.
  • Future research should focus on disentangling these two facets of empathy.
  • This distinction has implications for clinical psychology and social neuroscience.