Deictic framing and human objectification: further testing of a new procedure to enhance empathic concern towards others

A previous study performed in our laboratory showed significant baseline correlations between performance in a deictic framing task and an empathy questionnaire (IRI; Davis, 1984) in a sample of college students (n=58). The study was designed to address the potential role of deictic framing in the enhancement of empathic concern towards individuals belonging to an ethnic minority. Results also indicated that a deictic framing manipulation produced increased levels of empathic concern but those levels of connection faded over time. In this paper, we will present data from a second study that will test the same rationale but using an automated procedure to avoid for demand characteristics of the experimenter. This new procedure incorporates (1) a larger pool of trials, (2) equal number of trials for the three types of deictic framing and their levels of complexity, (3) systematic variations of trial content, and (4) collection of fluency data. In addition, we created an automated delay discounting assessment task that serves as an analog of social bonding. Results will be discussed in terms of the larger implications of this line of research for the enhancement of social interactions in normal adults.