Emotion recognition and empathy after brain injury

by Darling, Amy

Impairments of social behavior after cerebral damage are common. Studies suggest that in somebrain-injured individualsthe fundamentalmechanismsunderlying emotionrecognition (Braun, Denault, Cohen & Rouleau, 1994; Jackson & MoEat, 1987)and empathy (Eslinger, 1998; Grattan, Bloomer, Archambault & Eslinger, 1994) are dishubed. To our knowledge, there has been no published research on the interaction between emotion recognition and empathy in brain-injured groups. The present study investigated how impairment in the ability to recognize visual and verbal emotion covaries with the ability to empathize (cognitivelyand emotionally). Specifically, it was hypothesizedthat poor abilityto recognize emotion would positively correlate with socially hadequate forms of empathy. A group of individuals with brain injury and a nomial control group were administered the Victoria Emotion Recognition Test (VERT), Hogan's Ernpathy Scale (EM) and the Questionnaire Measure of Emotional Empathy (QMEE). Results indicate that overall, individuals with brain injury had lower scores on dl subscales of the VERT as well as on the EM. No differences were found between groups on the QMEE. The scores for both groups were found to correlate positively between the EM and VERT as well as between the EM and QMEE. Birain.Injury. Emotion Recognition and Empathy 4