ABSTRACT
Empathy has become an important construct in mass communication research. It has been used to explain both children’s and adults’ reactions to films and characters (Wilson & Cantor, 1985; Wilson, Cantor, Gordon, & Zillmann, 1986; Zillmann & Cantor, 1977), enjoyment of films (de Wied, Zillmann, & Ordman, 1994), responses to coviewing others (Tamborini, Salomonson, & Bahk, 1993), and attraction to programs (Cantor, 1998). Perhaps because of its accessibility within everyday language, the scientific meaning of empathy is sometimes taken for granted rather than carefully considered. However, empathy is a complex idea, and some researchers are still struggling to define its conceptual boundaries.
