Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Persian version of Empathic Experience Scale
Subject Areas :
Samin Baharshanjani
1
,
Hojjatollah Farahani
2
*
,
Parviz Azadfallah
3
1 - Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran0000-0002-9799-7008
3 - Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Keywords: Empathy, Empathic Experience Scale, Factor structure, phenomenology, Psychometric properties,
Abstract :
Empathy is a key concept that consists of two main structures originated from tradition of phenomenology: sensory perception (vicarious experience) and cognition awareness (intuitive understanding) of the emotions of others. The present study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Empathic Experience Scale in Iran. A total of 260 adults (210 females and 50 males) were selected via the convenience sampling method. The Persian version of scale was administered simultaneously with other scales as Basic Empathy, Aggression questionnaire and Interpersonal Problems. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to evaluate the validity of the scale. Moreover, the content and divergent validity of this scale were assessed with other scales. The reliability of the scale was calculated by Cronbach's alpha, and composite reliability. The significant correlation of factors with the other used scales pointed to the content validity and divergent validity of the scale. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the entire scale was 0.93, the test-retest coefficient was 0.935 and the composite reliability of the factors was in the range of 0.88 to 0.92. With respect to average variance extracted greater than 0.5 and composite reliability greater than 0.8, the convergent validity of the factors was confirmed. As evidenced by the obtained results, the Persian version of the EES is a valid scale in the field of empathy and social cognition that can be used for Iranian populations. The Factor structure includes two factors of vicarious experience and intuitive understanding.