ERIC Number: EJ1455402
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Dec
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2195-7177
EISSN: EISSN-2195-7185
Cognitive and Affective Empathy in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analysis
Mehreen Fatima; Nandita Babu
Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v11 n4 p756-775 2024
Research has consistently shown that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exhibit Empathy deficits. The aim of this study was to systematically review and meta-analyze the research conducted in the domain of cognitive and affective Empathy in Autism. The author also attempted to see the influence of moderators, such as age, culture, and measure-used, on the effect sizes. To fulfill the objective, the meta-analysis was performed on 35 studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria with the help of the Meta-essentials, which is a free excel meta-analysis tool that facilitates the integration of effect sizes from various studies. The results indicated that the ASD group differs significantly from typically developing (TD) group in both cognitive and affective empathy. The effect size for cognitive empathy was very large (1.26), whereas, for affective empathy, the effect size was medium (0.58). Further, there was a significant moderating effect of the type of measure used on cognitive empathy. However, there are a few limitations of the present meta-analysis. Firstly, it does not shed light on how symptom severity in Autism influences empathy. Secondly, all the possible moderating variables influencing empathy could not be considered. Lastly, the generalizability of the findings may be limited owing to the limitations present in the included studies themselves. The present meta-analysis has implications for conceptualizing cognitive and affective empathy appropriately, and developing appropriate measures to assess empathy in the Autism population.
Descriptors: Empathy, Affective Behavior, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Meta Analysis, Research Reports, Comparative Analysis, Effect Size, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Severity (of Disability), Measures (Individuals)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A