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Browsing by Author "Mansouri, Behzad"

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    Do Histories of Painful Life Experiences Affect the Expression of Empathy Among Young Adults? An Electroencephalography Study
    (Frontiers, 2021) Jami, Parvaneh Yaghoubi; Han, Hyemin; Thoma, Stephen J.; Mansouri, Behzad; Houser, Rick; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    Previous research suggests that prior experience of pain affects the expression of empathy. However, most of these studies attended to physical pain despite evidence indicating that other forms of pain may also affect brain activity and emotional states in similar ways. To address this limitation, we compared empathic responses of 33 participants, some of whom had experienced a personal loss, across three conditions: observing strangers in physical pain, psychological pain, and a non-painful condition. We also examined the effect of presence of prior painful experience on empathic reactions. In addition, we examined the stimulation type, prior experience, and ERPs in the early Late Positive Potential (300-550 ms), late Late Positive Potential (550-800 ms), and very late Late Positive Potential (VLLPP; 800-1,050 ms) time windows. Behavioral data indicated that participants who had personally experienced a loss scored significantly higher on perspective taking in the psychological-pain condition. ERP results also indicated significantly lower intensity in Fp2, an electrode in the prefrontal region, within VLLPP time window for participants experiencing a loss in the psychological-pain condition. The results of both behavioral and ERP analysis indicated that prior experience of psychological pain is related to cognitive empathy, but not affective empathy. The implication of these findings for research on empathy, for the study of psychological pain, and the moderating influence of prior painful experiences are discussed.
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    On the Status of Trait Empathy in American and Iranian population: A Cross-cultural Comparison
    (2017) Jami, Paria Yaghoubi; Mansouri, Behzad; Thoma, Stephen; Han, Hyemin; Thoma, Steve
    The extent to which individuals with a variety of cultural backgrounds differ in empathic responsiveness is unknown. This paper describes the cross-cultural path of empathy and its differences in two Western and Eastern societies. The analysis of responses given by 606 individuals to Interpersonal Reactivity Index and Empathy Quotient questionnaires revealed a significant difference between the cognitive and affective component of trait empathy with regard to participants’ affiliation to either a Western or an Eastern culture. Data obtained from bicultural participants also indicated the availability of a specific path of trait empathy different from the other two groups. In line with previous studies, gender difference was observed in all subscales of questionnaires except perspective taking in favor of female participants. The same pattern was also observed with age and educational level. Implications for understanding the cross-cultural differences of various components of empathy trait are discussed.
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    The Effect of Past Experience on the Perception of Psychological Pain
    (2017) Jami, Paria Yaghoubi; Mansouri, Behzad; Thoma, Stephen
    Observing others in pain activates bilateral anterior Insula, rostral anterior cingulate cortex, brainstem and cerebellum, which could be slower when emphatic individuals are in an unfamiliar simulated condition. Research findings also showed that the same pain matrix would be activated when a person is experiencing social pain. There is a dearth of research on the interconnection of psychological pain and empathy. To meet this gap the current study explores the relationship between empathic reaction and psychologically painful situations. Of special interest we looked at relationship between degree of familiarity with a potential psychological pain-inducing situation and individuals’ empathic reaction. 80 participants completed two Empathy questionnaires and rated a set of fifty pictures of strangers experiencing psychological and physical pain. They were asked to determine their level of pain, feeling, perspective taking, empathic concern toward that person, and willingness to help on a 5-point Likert scale. The analyses of the data showed a significant role of past experience on individuals’ affective empathy.