• Tamara Ambrona, Luis Oceja, Belén López-Pérez, and Pilar Carrera.
• Universidad de Burgos, Spain.
• Scand J Psychol. 2016 Dec 1; 57 (6): 547-553.

AbstractPrevious research on the one-among-others effect has shown that inducing empathic concern towards a victim presented among other individuals in need enhances: (1) awareness of these others and (2) the willingness to help them individually. In this work, we test that these outcomes are linked by an additional process: the generalization of empathic concern felt for the victim towards the others in need. Study 1 revealed that inducing empathic concern for a victim presented as one-among-others led to see the others as separate and different individuals, not as a unitary group. Study 2 showed that the one-among-others presentation (vs. only-one-victim) increased empathic concern towards those presented along with the main victim. Study 3 showed that the one-among-others presentation (vs. a single-victim or a statistical presentation) increased the empathic concern felt for other individuals in need. Therefore, the one-among-others presentation does not weaken empathic concern but, instead, it leads to its generalization from one to others.© 2016 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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