APBA DEI Webinar: Effects of Empathy Training on Racial Bias: Applications Beyond the Laboratory

A laboratory evaluation of behavioral procedures including relational training and multiple exemplar training on empathic responding of individuals who display racial bias showed that empathic responding was higher when relational frames of coordination were presented and lower when relational frames of distinction were presented. Thus, preliminary data suggest that values-based relational training may result in alternated patterns of empathic responses toward people belonging to racial groups for which a bias was previously observed. While it is unknown how these results may generalize to the natural environment, there may be actionable behaviors that individuals can engage in to enhance their own empathy toward those who come from different racial, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds. After centuries of racial injustice, we cannot wait any longer before we take action on our own behavior: the time is now.