Several Studies Have Shown That Feelings of Empathy Motivate Altruistic

Essay

Several studies have shown that feelings of empathy motivate altruistic behavior. The 2002 GSS showed a correlation of .19 between the Davis Empathy Scale and a composite measure of altruistic behavior based on whether respondents had engaged in 15 different activities during the past year. Among these activities were giving directions, giving money to charity, helping carry a stranger's belongings, and donating blood. This modest association may reflect difficulties in measuring altruistic behavior. Identify two possible sources of error in the GSS measure of altruistic behavior and carefully explain how each could introduce random or systematic measurement error.