Meta-Analysis on TBI and Empathy

Major

psychology

Department

Psychology

Degree

Undergraduate

Mentor

Richard Osbaldiston

Mentor Department

Psychology

Abstract

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, this ability is fundamental for human connection. What happens to empathy when the brain is damaged, most specifically, with a traumatic brain injury (TBI)? This meta-analysis attempted to answer this question. Using PsycInfo and Medline, nine studies that compared a TBI group to a control group were located. These articles were coded, and the overall effect sizes were calculated. The results of this study revealed a medium effect size between TBI and empathy (d = -0.71). These results suggest that those with TBI have a lower capacity for empathy than those who do not have any type of brain disorder. This research provides evidence that TBI impacts empathy; the next step is to identify the areas of the brain that were affected by the TBI and then influenced the empathic ability.

Presentation format

Poster

Poster Number

081

Link to poster

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Meta-Analysis on TBI and Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, this ability is fundamental for human connection. What happens to empathy when the brain is damaged, most specifically, with a traumatic brain injury (TBI)? This meta-analysis attempted to answer this question. Using PsycInfo and Medline, nine studies that compared a TBI group to a control group were located. These articles were coded, and the overall effect sizes were calculated. The results of this study revealed a medium effect size between TBI and empathy (d = -0.71). These results suggest that those with TBI have a lower capacity for empathy than those who do not have any type of brain disorder. This research provides evidence that TBI impacts empathy; the next step is to identify the areas of the brain that were affected by the TBI and then influenced the empathic ability.