The development and validation of a scale to measure affective sensitivity (empathy).

Procedures are described which were used to develop an instrument and scale to measure an individual's ability to detect and describe the immediate affective state of another (affective sensitivity or empathy). The resulting scale consists of multiple-choi ce items used with a series of short videotaped excerpts from actual counseling sessions. Data are presented indicating the scale's reliability and the extent of the scale's content, concurrent, and predictive validity. The scale is unaffected by the pretest-posttest practice effect, and indications are that high scores on the scale are a necessary but not a sufficient condition of counselor effectiveness. Some technical limitations are present in the scale, but it shows promise of being an appropriate model for a more refined instrument.