Cognitive Modulation of Empathy: A distinction between hot cognitive style and cold cognitive style

The aim of the study was to investigate the cognitive modulation of empathy for pain. I considered several findings analyzing the role of attention, eyes movements and fixation, cognitive styles. Results of studies about clinical populations (e.g. psychopathy) have also been considered. The analysis of these studies led me to consider the existence of two different cognitive styles (minds): the "hot" (or emotional) mind, typical of empathic people and the "cold" (or unemotional) mind, typical of unempathic people. I tested this hypothesis through conditions that simulated the functioning of the two minds. Thirty-two partecipants took part the experiment. Every partecipant had to bring with him/her another person who had an important affective role in own life (boy/girlfriends, friends, brothers etc.) – the assumption was that couples are likely to feel empathy for each other (Singer et al., 2004). In total 32 couples (N = 64) partecipated. I treated one member of each couple (S1) with a painful treatment (hot and cold water), meanwhile I recordered a video, with a camera, that the other member (S2) subsequently had to watch. When S2 finished to watch, he/she was assigned to an experimental group at random. The groups were three: the first was the "hot mind" or holistic group (n = 11) which simulated the emotional mind's functioning; the second the "cold mind" or analytic group (n = 11) which simulated the unemotional mind's functioning (n = 11), and finally the control group (n = 10). After the experimental condition subjects had to answer some question about their and S1 emotional or somatic state. The answers were scored according to three criteria: the recognition of S1 state, the isomorphism with S1 state and a qualitative score based upon a control question. Two independent raters scored separately. There was a strong correlation between the scores given from the first and second rater. The results supported the assumptions. Hot mind group's partecipants were more empathic than "the analytics" (cold mind) and the controls in each condition. Data were not affected by the Alexithymia level of partecipants (covariate). Further, self-report questionnaire supported the experimental data. In chapter 6, I discuss the implication of this discovery from different point of views. Can we apply this findings to clinical psychology? What are the neural correlates? What are the origins? Other studies are necessary are needed to be done to answer these questions. This research offers new frontiers of research about empathy and emotions.