Measuring empathy: reliability and validity of the Empathy Quotient

<jats:p><jats:bold>Background.</jats:bold> Empathy plays a key role in social understanding, but its empirical measurement has proved difficult. The Empathy Quotient (EQ) is a self-report scale designed to do just that. This series of four studies examined the reliability and validity of the EQ and determined its factor structure.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Method.</jats:bold> In Study 1, 53 people completed the EQ, Social Desirability Scale (SDS) and a non-verbal mental state inference test, the Eyes Task. In Study 2, a principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted on data from 110 healthy individuals and 62 people reporting depersonalisation (DPD). Approximately 1 year later, Study 3, involved the re-administration of the EQ (<jats:italic>n</jats:italic>=24) along with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; <jats:italic>n</jats:italic>=28). In the last study, the EQ scores of those with DPD, a condition that includes a subjective lack of empathy, were examined in depth.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Results.</jats:bold> An association was found between the Eyes task and EQ, and only three EQ items correlated with the SDS. PCA revealed three factors: (1) ‘cognitive empathy’; (2) ‘emotional reactivity’, and (3) ‘social skills’. Test–retest reliability was good and moderate associations were found between the EQ and IRI subscales, suggesting concurrent validity. People with DPD did not show a global empathy deficit, but reported less social competence.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusions.</jats:bold> The EQ is a valid, reliable scale and the different subscales may have clinical applications.</jats:p>