The investigators expect an intervention that focuses on actual dialogue and familiarity with members of the other culture, discussion of empathy, generosity, and kindness, and focus on adaptive and reciprocal modes of conflict resolution will alter both physiological, behavioral, and mental response to the pain of the other, increase empathy, and reduce hostility.
We hypothesized that the intervention will impact perspective taking (PT) on the national conflict, reducing the tendency to view justice only on one's side. Such increase in PT would initiate a chain leading to greater behavioral empathy. Second, we hypothesize that change in oxytocin (OT) levels and empathic behavior (less withdrawal and tension and more synchrony) would be impacted by the intervention and the degree to which it altered youth PT on the conflict. Finally, we suggest a 3-path model charting the multi-dimensional pathways leading to behavioral empathy toward outgroup member. First, individual differences in OT functionality will shape empathy so that youth with higher OT levels at pre-intervention and greater PT will show more empathic dialogue at post-intervention. Second, dispositional cognitive empathy, as tested by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index questioner (IRI), at pre-intervention will predict higher behavioral empathy at T2, both directly and as mediated by reduction in ethnocentric attitudes following the intervention. Finally, we hypothesize that the intervention will influence empathy by initiating a chain that begins with increasing PT, which, in turn, will lead to reduction in tension during interaction with outgroup, and culminating in greater empathy during face-to-face encounters
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
101
The eight sessions include (1) presentation of the self to others members (2) getting familiar with the other culture (3) what is a conflict - how do conflicts come about, what are adaptive and non-adaptive modes of resolving conflict (4) getting to know the "Other" - preconceived notions about the other side (5) on dialogue- what is dialogue, can dialogue offer means for conflict resolution, what are the benefits of dialogue to inter-cultural and inter-racial conflicts, (6) empathy, generosity, and kindness (7) wrapping up - hopes for the future at the personal and community levels, practical suggestions (8) goodbye and summary - what have we learned ,"gift giving", summary of process by group leaders.
Bar Ilan University
Ramat Gan, Israel
Behavioral Assessment of Dialogue
Interactions were coded with the "Coding Interactive Behavior" (CIB) manual (Feldman, 1998), adolescent version. This version of the CIB is composed of 32 codes rated on a scale of 1 to 5, as higher score mean a better outcome. The Two following constructs were used: A personal measure of "Behavioral Empathy" - an average of the following CIB codes: expressing empathy, acknowledging other's communication, elaborating other's topics and ideas, maintaining positive affect, maintaining visual, and give-and-receive reciprocity and Dyadic Tension - averaged codes; displaying a tense, anxious, and uneasy behavior, fear, and constriction of communicative output and social behavior.
Time frame: trail 1-baseline
Hormonal Assays- Oxytocin
Three saliva samples were collected using Salivettes® at baseline, following interaction, and ten minutes after end and averaged. All samples were then stored at -20°C. Salivette were treated as following: centrifuged twice, at 4°C at 1500 x g for 30 minutes, aliquoted and lyophilized over few days- to concentrate by 4 times. The dry samples were reconstructed in the assay buffer immediately before analysis using an oxytocin enzyme immunoassay commercial kit (ENZO, NY). The assay preformed according the kit's instruction. The concentration of oxytocin was calculated using MatLab-7
Time frame: trail 1- baseline
PT (Perspective-taking)
Participants were interviewed individually on their attitudes towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Perspective-taking (PT), addressed the degree to which adolescents thought justice was solely on their side and the other side is totally wrong, aggressive, and vicious compared to the ability to see some justice on both sides. Participants received binary score for PT, as 1 is some ability to see justice on the other side, and 0 is seeing justice only in own side.
Time frame: trail 1-baseline
Behavioral Assessment of Dialogue
interactions were coded with the "Coding Interactive Behavior" (CIB) manual (Feldman, 1998), adolescent version. This version of the CIB is composed of 32 codes rated on a scale of 1 to 5, as higher score mean a better outcome. The Two following constructs were used: A personal measure of "Behavioral Empathy" - an average of the following CIB codes: expressing empathy, acknowledging other's communication, elaborating other's topics and ideas, maintaining positive affect, maintaining visual, and give-and-receive reciprocity and Dyadic Tension - averaged codes; displaying a tense, anxious, and uneasy behavior, fear, and constriction of communicative output and social behavior.
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Time frame: trail 2- 3 months after trail 1
Hormonal Assays-Oxytocin
Three saliva samples were collected using Salivettes® at baseline, following interaction, and ten minutes after end and averaged. All samples were then stored at -20°C. Salivette were treated as following: centrifuged twice, at 4°C at 1500 x g for 30 minutes, aliquoted and lyophilized over few days- to concentrate by 4 times. The dry samples were reconstructed in the assay buffer immediately before analysis using an oxytocin enzyme immunoassay commercial kit (ENZO, NY). The assay preformed according the kit's instruction. The concentration of oxytocin was calculated using MatLab-7
Time frame: trail 2- 3 months after trail1
Changes in PT (Perspective-taking) After Intervention
Participants were interviewed individually on their attitudes towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Perspective-taking (PT), addressed the degree to which adolescents thought justice was solely on their side and the other side is totally wrong, aggressive, and vicious compared to the ability to see some justice on both sides. Participants received binary score for PT.
Time frame: trail 2- 3 months after trail 1
Changes in Tension as a Function of Perspective-taking and Group
Perspective-taking (PT), addressed the degree to which adolescents thought justice was solely on their side compared to the ability to see some justice on both sides. Participants received binary score for PT and were divided to high vs low PT groups accordingly. We compared participants' tension levels, according to level of PT and group (intervention or control). Interactions were coded with the "Coding Interactive Behavior" (CIB) manual (Feldman, 1998), adolescent version. This version of the CIB is composed of 32 codes rated on a scale of 1 to 5, as higher score means a better outcome. Dyadic Tension is the averaged codes; displaying a tense, anxious, and uneasy behavior, fear, and constriction of communicative output and social behavior.
Time frame: trail 2- 3 months after trail1
Changes in Empathy as a Function of Perspective Taking
Perspective-taking (PT), addressed the degree to which adolescents thought justice was solely on their side compared to the ability to see some justice on both sides. Participants received binary score for PT and were divided to high vs low PT groups accordingly. We compared participants' behavioral empathy levels. Interactions were coded with the "Coding Interactive Behavior" (CIB) manual (Feldman, 1998), adolescent version. This version of the CIB is composed of 32 codes rated on a scale of 1 to 5, as higher score means a better outcome. "Behavioral Empathy" is the average of the following CIB codes: expressing empathy, acknowledging other's communication, elaborating other's topics and ideas, maintaining positive affect, maintaining visual, and give-and-receive reciprocity
Time frame: trail 2- 3 months after trail 1