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Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology

ISSN : 1229-0653

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Vol.29 No.4

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The Influence of Prefrontal Cortical Asymmetry on Empathic responses in painful situation

Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology / Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology, (P)1229-0653;
2015, v.29 no.4, pp.17-37
https://doi.org/10.21193/kjspp.2015.29.4.002

(2015). The Influence of Prefrontal Cortical Asymmetry on Empathic responses in painful situation. Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology, 29(4), 17-37, https://doi.org/10.21193/kjspp.2015.29.4.002

Abstract

This research examined whether right midfrontal cortical asymmetry might be associated with empathic traits and reactions. Experimental participants completed interpersonal reactivity index(IRI) to measure empathic traits. Resting EEGs were recorded to measure frontal cotical asymmetry. During presenting pictures or cartoons of hands that were in painful or neutral situation, event-related brain potentials(ERPs) were recorded from participants who performed a pain judgement task that required attention to pain cues in the stimuli or a hand counting task that withdraw their attention from these cues. Relative to left midfrontal activation group, right midfrontal activation group showed higher empathic concern and personal distress and rated the painful picture stimuli as the highest painful ones. In rating pain intensity of painful picture stimuli, right midfrontal asymmetry induced increased P300 and LPP(late positive potentials) than left frontal activation did. These results supported the hypothesis that right frontal EEG asymmetry might be a predictor of empathic traits and empathic reactions in painful situation. This study suggests that right bias in frontal cortical activation may contribute to desirable interpersonal abilities for social communication of emotion through facilitating sensitivity towards the suffering of others.

keywords
midfrontal asymmetry, IRI, EEG, pain, empathy, P300, LPP, 중전두피질 비대칭성, 대인관계반응지수, EEG, 고통, 공감, P300, LPP

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