An Experimental Analysis of Empathy: Comparing Animal and Human Responses to Emotional Distress
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study seeks to elaborate on the emotional response of humans towards other humans and animals. In these circumstances, a video presentation has been utilized as the source of the specific details that will be used in an assessment to be answered by the participants. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of the study, 20 college students were carefully selected. These participants were screened to exclude individuals with a history of traumatic experiences involving animals or humans, minimizing potential biases that could influence their emotional responses. A paired sample t-test was utilized since the researchers used a within-subject design. The p-value of 0.001 is below the threshold of 0.05. This signifies a statistically significant difference in empathy scores between the two groups, with participants exhibiting greater empathy towards animals than humans, as indicated by the positive t-statistic. Based on these findings, the null hypothesis was rejected, stating no difference in empathy scores between humans and animals.
Authors: Hanah Bianca B. Dacillo, Sara G. Camacho, Danzel Dave V. Tamara, Claire Lynn B. Culajara
Institution: UM Digos College
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4407397229