Interpersonal Reactivity Index

IRI

psychologysocial scienceshealth sciencesFree for research use

A 28-item multidimensional measure of dispositional empathy, comprising four 7-item subscales: Perspective Taking (cognitive empathy), Fantasy (imaginative identification), Empathic Concern (other-oriented affect), and Personal Distress (self-oriented affect).

Items

Response format

5-point response scale

Version

1.0

Subscales

Ready-to-cite methods sentence

Dispositional empathy was assessed with the 28-item Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1983) across four 7-item subscales: Perspective Taking, Fantasy, Empathic Concern, and Personal Distress. Subscale scores were computed after reverse-scoring the nine relevant items; internal consistencies in the original sample ranged from .72 to .78.

Reliability & validation

notes

Test-retest over 60–75 days.

Validation population

Undergraduate students

Test–retest

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Cronbach's α

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Subscales

Perspective TakingFantasyEmpathic ConcernPersonal Distress

Response anchors

Does not describe me well (A) · B · C · D · Describes me very well (E)

Known limitations

The four subscales tap distinct constructs and should be reported separately; a single total IRI score is not recommended. Original sample was US undergraduates — item wording (e.g., the gendered phrase in item 25) dates the instrument and has been updated in some later reproductions.

Original citation

Davis, M. H. (1983). Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44(1), 113-126.

https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.44.1.113

Use IRI in Folio Surveyor

Add it to a study with the full items, scoring, and analysis built in.

Open Surveyor

Library entry verified January 2024. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.