2015 Arcadia Univ. Thesis Day Poster

The Effects of Visual Primes on Perceptions of Empathy & Congruence Marcous H. Marchese Faculty Advisor: Steve Robbins & Michael Morrow Abstract

Results

Hypothesis

This study tested the effects of visual primes for empathy on perceptions of others and thera-

Specifically it was hypothesized that compared to control conditions the empathy prime

A significant effect of condition was found for the primary outcome measure of empathy (t

peutic outcome. Fifty-eight participants acted as clients in a role-play therapy session and eval-

condition would show:

(56) = -2.16, p = .035; d = .58). The secondary outcome measure of time also reached signifi-

uated their “therapist” (the experimenter). Individuals were randomly assigned to complete one

1. Significantly greater perception of the experimenter as empathic.

cance (t(55) = -2.37, p = .021; d = .64). There was a significant main effect of condition on the

of two intake evaluation packets prior to the session: those watermarked with an empathic pho-

2. More time spent in the role-play session.

subscale for congruence (t(56) = -2.17, p = .034; d = .58) however the empathy subscale just

to or a similar non-empathic photo. Participants primed for empathy spent more time talking

3. Greater perceptions of benefit from future “therapy sessions”.

missed the level of significance (t(56) = -1.93, p = .059). The perceptions of progress with fu-

with the experimenter during their role-play session (p < .05) and rated the experimenter as

4. Significantly greater reductions in negative mood states.

ture therapy sessions also showed a trend towards significance (t(56) = -1.87, p = .067). There

more empathic (p < .05) via a composite of the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory’s em-

5. Greater levels of self-disclosure.

was not a significant difference in the improvement of negative mood between conditions (F (1, 56) = .258, p = .614) and there was no significant effect of condition on self-disclosure (t

pathy and congruence sub-scales.

Method

Background

(56) = -0.31, p = .758).

Participants: 58 undergraduate Arcadia University students aged 18 to 22 were randomly PRIMING 



Priming is known as an induced alteration in behavior from the norm by pre-exposure to



Independent Variable: Visual Prime -

similar or relevant stimuli (Schacter & Buckner, 1998).

Empathy Prime: Logo displaying empathy used as a watermark.

The results from one study suggest that social interaction behavior can in fact be primed

Non-Empathy Prime: Logo not displaying empathy used as watermark.

(Bargh, J. A., Chen, M. & Burrows, L. 1996). 

assigned to one of two conditions.

Dependent Variables:

It has also been demonstrated that actual achievement scores on cognitive tests could be sig-

Perceptions of Empathy: Composite score from participant ratings on the Barrett-

nificantly affected by the pre-exposure to the letter “A” or “F” (Ciani & Sheldon, 2010).

Lennard Relationship Inventory (BLRI) subscales for empathy (E) and congruence

Similarly other studies have shown the effectiveness of visual primes on perceptions of en-

(C).

joyment of media depicting embarrassment, levels of emotional stress from media violence,

Time: Duration of clients structured intake session.

calorie estimates for unhealthy food and reported attachment levels to families and

Perceived Future Progress: Verbally reported perception of progress from future

hometowns (Williams, & Bargh, 2008).

“therapy” session on a 1 to 10 scale.

Discussion

Negative Mood State: Change in negative mood state on the Profile of Mood States. Self-Disclosure: Number of words written in response to a question about the experienced “therapy” session. PERCEPTION 

Studies have found evidence to support the theory that client’s and observer’s perceptions of



therapist empathy level are a significantly stronger indicator of therapeutic outcome than

setting academic concerns and gave a baseline level of negative mood by filling out the

therapist's empathic accuracy measures (Greenberg, Watson, Bohart, & Elliott. 2011). 

One study shows a significant direct relationship between the client’s perception of the thera-

POMS. 

pist’s empathy and outcome, as well as a significant indirect effect of the client’s perception of the therapist’s empathy being associated with improved attachment insecurity and deA review of over twenty studies mostly relying on the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory (BLRI) found that empathy correlated with congruence .62, positive regard .53 and unconditionality .28. These results suggest that it can be difficult to tease apart these common factors or relationship variables. However, studies at the item-level have been able to identify

Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: Empathy or NonEmpathy, to fill out watermarked demographic information.



creased negative self-treatment (Watson, Steckley, & Mcmullen, 2013). 

All participants perform negative mood inducement task by listing their three most up-

All participants experienced a role-play intake session in which they played the client and the experimenter acted as the therapist.

   

All participants filled out BLRI for assessment of therapist empathy level. All Participants filled out second POMS for second measure of negative mood state. All participants completed the self disclosure measure. All participants were then given a funnel debriefing.

empathy as a separate factor (Gurman, 1977).

Procedure COMMON FACTORS 



The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of visual primes in altering the perceptions and behavior of an individual. Overall, there was a significant increase in perceptions of the experimenter in the empathy prime condition as being more empathic, but the difference only reached significance at the factor level by measures of congruence. Furthermore those primed with empathic images spent more time during the role-play sessions talking to the experimenter. These results did not however show a significantly greater improvement in the negative mood state of participants in the empathy prime condition. This is most likely due to the fact that it was a single role-play intake session. Findings also suggest that with the help of priming it may be possible to promote mood states or perceptions that are at the core of positive therapeutic relationships between clients and therapists. It could, for example, help the therapist to engender feelings of safety often required for self-disclosure. Or perhaps primes could be used to underscore the positive aspects of situations for individuals struggling with depression. This is not to say that priming a client will in any way replace the role a therapist plays but it could prove to be an incredibly beneficial tool for therapists if common factors of therapy could be effectively primed. Limitations: 

congruence than empathy. 

The self-disclosure measure was administered lastly and therefore may be reflecting fatigue

Rogers theorized congruence, positive regard and empathy were all necessary for therapeutic

particularly for those in the experimental condition who spent longer on the role-play ses-

change (Rogers, 1957)

sion.

A meta analysis found that empathy was demonstrably effective, positive regard was proba-



to show effectiveness” (Norcross, & Wampold, 2011). The findings from another study suggested that standardized preferred treatment practices and the unstandardized traditional individualized approach methods of therapy are compara-

The amount of time spent in each role play is not necessarily reflective of quality or quantity of information disclosed by the participants.

bly effective and congruence fell into the realm of “promising but lacking sufficient evidence



The visual prime used for the empathy condition may have been more representative of

Future Studies: 

Try developing more accurate visual primes for empathy and other common factors key to positive therapeutic change.

ble on the levels of “overall client satisfaction with therapy” and “perceptions of therapists empathy” (Mitchell, 1998). 

References

A study that used therapist perceptions of their own empathy, genuineness, and warmth confirms the importance of the three factors in combination and of empathy and genuineness separately for positive therapeutic change (Truax, & et. al, 1966).

Bargh, Chen, & Burrows, (1996). Automaticity of social behavior: Direct effects of trait construct and stereotype activation on action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 230 - 244. C. B Truax, & et. al, (1966). Therapist empathy, genuineness, and warmth and patient therapeutic outcome. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 30(5), 395-401. Ciani, & Sheldon, (2010). A versus F: The effects of implicit letter priming on cognitive performance. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 80, 99 Greenberg, Watson, Bohart, & Elliott. (2011). Empathy. Psychotherapy, 48(1), 43-49. Mitchell, C. (1998). Perceptions of Empathy and Client Satisfaction with Managed Behavioral Health Care. Social Work, 43(5), 404-411. Norcross, & Wampold, (2011). Evidence-based therapy relationships: Research conclusions and clinical practices. Psychotherapy, 48(1), 98-102. Rogers, C. (1957). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 2(2), 95-103. Schacter, & Buckner, (1998). Priming and the brain. Neuron, 20, 185-195. Watson, Steckley, & Mcmullen, E. (2013). The role of empathy in promoting change. Psychotherapy Research, 24(3), 1-13. Williams, L., & Bargh, J. (2008). Keeping One's Distance: The Influence Of Spatial Distance Cues On Affect And Evaluation. Psychological Science, 19(3), 302-308.