Date of Conferral

10-3-2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Jody Dill

Abstract

The current study aimed to identify if there was a relationship between cross-ethnic racial identity and cognitive empathy for others and whether social and personal identities mediated this effect. Self-categorization theory was used as the theoretical framework. In this study, it was hypothesized that cross-ethnic racial identity significantly predicts empathic accuracy, and that social and personal identities mediate this relationship. A non-experimental, researcher-designed survey was used to collect participant data and demographic characteristics. Participant inclusion criteria were an age between 18 and 55, U.S. citizenship, and a self-identification as Asian American, Black American, Hispanic American, or White American. The Cross-Ethnic Racial Identity Scale (CERIS), Social and Personal Identity Scale (SIPI), and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) were used to assess ethnic-racial identity, social and personal identity, and empathic accuracy. Linear regression and mediation analyses were employed to determine relationships between each variable. The findings showed that CERIS did not predict empathic accuracy and SIPI did not mediate the relationship between CERIS and RMET. However, the CERIS was found to be a significant positive predictor of the SIPI. Post-hoc analysis also determined that self-identification as Black American was a significant negative predictor of the RMET and a significant positive predictor of the SIPI. Conversely, self-identification as White American was a significant positive predictor of the RMET and a significant negative predictor of the SIPI. This study enhances positive social change through understanding how group heuristics and racial dynamics influence the perceptions of the inner mental states of others.

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