What Shapes Empathy? Identifying, thinking about, and managing our emotions.

What is the purpose of this research?

The purpose of this research project is to explore multiple hypotheses regarding empathy, identifying and understanding one’s emotions, emotion regulation, beliefs about emotions and thoughts.

Are you looking for people like me?

We are looking for persons who lives in Australia and is currently over the age of 18, and provided that you will not experience discomfort from answering questions about your beliefs about emotions, beliefs about thoughts, empathy (both understanding and feeling others’ emotions components), emotion regulation (specifically, changing perspective and suppressing emotions), interoception (i.e. identifying bodily sensations) and ability to identify and understand your emotions. We encourage all adults who met these criteria to participate in the study.

What will you ask me to do?

Participation will involve completing a 121-item questionnaire with answers ranging from 1 (“strongly disagree”) to 5 (“strongly agree”) that will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes of your time. Some general demographic questions will also be asked, such as age and gender, as these factors allow us to understand how participants in this study compare to those in other studies which have explored this research area.

Are there any risks for me in taking part?

There are low risks associated with your participation in this research project.

Risk of inconvenience

You may be inconvenienced as you are asked to donate 20 to 30 minutes of your time if you choose to complete the online questionnaire. You can complete the questionnaire at a time that is convenient to you. If at any stage the time burden becomes too much, you are free to stop participation without penalty by closing the web browser. As this questionnaire is anonymous, please note that if you do exit the questionnaire, data will be retained from questions you have already answered.

Risk of discomfort

You may experience discomfort when reflecting on empathy, beliefs about emotions, beliefs about thoughts, emotion regulation, interoception (i.e. identifying bodily sensations) and your ability to identify emotion.

You may also have the perception that completing the questionnaire will provide some direct benefit in terms of treatment or diagnoses, which could potentially be disappointing.

Are there any benefits for me in taking part?

It is expected that this research project will not directly benefit you. The outcomes of the research, however, may contribute to scientific understanding of the concepts of empathy, emotion regulation, beliefs about emotion, beliefs about thoughts, interoception (i.e. identifying bodily sensations) and alexithymia (i.e. ability to identify emotions), which may in turn inform future psychological interventions and treatment.

Will I be compensated for my time?

To recognise your contribution should you choose to complete this survey, the research team is offering all participants (provided you are not a first-year QUT psychology student receiving course credit through SONA) the chance to win 1 of 8 $50 digital Mastercard gift vouchers. Entries commenced on Tuesday 5 May 2026 and close at 11:59PM on 30 September 2026. Prizes will be drawn on 6th October 2026. The winners will be contacted via email to arrange to receive their prize.

Prize draw terms and conditions

First year QUT psychology students can choose to earn 0.5 of a mark (course credit) or enter the prize draw for completing the questionnaire. Once complete, first-year psychology students will be taken to a separate page from their questionnaire responses and asked to enter their SONA number. Please note, first year QUT students who receive course credit through SONA are not eligible to enter the draw to win a prize.

Participants that enter their SONA details or go into the prize draw will be taken to a separate webpage that cannot be linked back to their questionnaire responses.

I am interested - what should I do next?

Apply for this research project