Prosocial Behavior and Empathy: Analysis of Emotional Responses During the Use of Ted Talk Videos in the Classroom

Abstract

Empathy may increase when observing prosocial behavior of others. The purpose of the study was to evaluate students’ emotional responses when observing prosocial behavior demonstrated in a Tedx Talk video through the lens of cognitive empathy and affective empathy. Tedx Talk videos are often shown in college classrooms to enhance learning outcomes. Student participants (N=157) completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index pre/post assessment to examine if differences of empathy were measurable from before watching the video and after. Paired Samples t test Analyses were run to explore if there were differences between groups over time. Independent Samples t tests were used to understand differences between groups: age, gender and parental status. Results suggested statistically significant changes in empathy both over time and between groups.