Thesis (B.Sc.Hons.))--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Psychology, 1978.

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia Southern University, 2008. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science." Under the direction of Janie Wilson. ETD. Electronic version approved: May 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 44-49) and appendices.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisor: Diane L. Schallert. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available from UMI.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2005. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Marion O'Brien; submitted to the School of Human Environmental Sciences. Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-51).

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--University of Minnesota. / Bibliography: p. 165-168.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The main purpose of the study was to determine if altruism and empathy could be developed in Ecuadorian college students. Gender differences were expected in initial altruism and empathy measures. A predictive relationship between different dimensions of empathy (fantasy, perspective taking, empathic concern, personal distress) and altruism was also expected. The intervention took the form of a mandatory service learning course, which included conferences and a service internship with continuous and shared reflection via computer mediated discussion groups. A mixed methodology design first used an experimental component in which participants were randomly assigned to experimental (with discussion groups) and control (without discussion groups) conditions, and a qualitative component in which semi-structured interviews were done with control and treatment participants approximately a year after the intervention. Quantitative results revealed a positive impact of the intervention in altruism and empathic concern, as well as a positive qualitative impact in treatment participants' critical thinking about their country's reality. Additionally, qualitative data showed a difference in thinking about their service experience between experimental and control group participants. Gender differences in altruism and empathy were not found in contrast with previous studies. The combination of empathy factors as measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1983) predicted scores in altruism as measured by the Self-Report Altruism Scale (Rushton, Chrisjohn & Fekken, 1981). It was concluded that the intervention had a modest effect on participants' empathy and a strong positive effect on participants' altruism. Instruments used in this study were differentially appropriate for the sample. The SRA appears to be more valid and reliable than the original and complete IRI. The IRI instrument appeared to have had some components (Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking) that were more related to the constructs under study and other components that were unrelated to this study. Some extraneous variables were not taken into account in data collection and analysis, and may have influenced the results, such as: Cultural knowledge about the importance of research, different service experiences due to different qualities of placements, and dispositional characteristics of participants. / 2031-01-02

Includes a sample questionnaire in pocket.

This study was conducted to research any increase in empathic discrimination resulting from an empathy training program for paraprofessional Christian counsellors entitled, The Skilled Helper for Christians. There were 13 male and 23 female subjects with a mean age of 38.9 years in the Experimental Group. The two control groups used were similar to the Experimental Group in mean age, gender and Christian faith. The first Control Group, those students enrolled in a course entitled Building Strong Marriages in the Local Church, was made up of 8 male and 8 female students, with a mean age of 38.9 years. The second Control Group consisted of graduate theological students who attended Introduction to Christian Counselling. There were 22 male and 11 female subjects with a mean age of 33.4 years. A pretest-posttest design was used, adapting two instruments based on the Truax Accurate Empathy Scale. The dependent variable was the empathy score attained on each measure. Four null hyotheses were advanced. Both instruments, the Questionnaire in Helpful Responding and the Exercises in Caring and Understanding, were initially analyzed using dependent t-tests. An analysis of covariance and a Tukey multiple comparison were also used. The findings indicated that a significant increase in empathic discrimination resulted from the Skilled Helper for Christians, as measured by the Questionnaire in Helpful Responding. Each Control Group also indicated an increase as measured by the Questionnaire in Helpful Responding, however at a less significant level. The second measure, the Exercises in Caring and Understanding, resulted in no significant increase for any of the groups. Thus, the Skilled Helper for Christians produced a significant gain in empathic discrimination. Other findings suggested that modeling empathy may have had a positive effect on all of the groups. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate