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# Cognitions Associated With Attempts to Empathize: How Do We Imagine the Perspective of Another?

## Details

**Authors** Davis et al.

**Year** 2004

**Publisher** PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN

**Discipline** Cognitive Science

[Read it at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167204271183) 
10.1177/0146167204271183

## In authors' words

### Abstract

Although the theoretical importance of perspective taking has long been recognized, surprisingly little work has documented the cognitions associated with attempts to imagine another’s point of view. To explore this issue and to determine whether perspective taking increases the likelihood of self-related thoughts, two experiments were carried out. In the first, a thought-listing procedure was used to assess observer cognitions; in the second, a less reactive measure was used. Instructions to imagine the self in the target’s position and instructions simply to imagine the target’s perspective produced increased levels of self-related cognition relative to a traditional control condition; the imagine-self condition also produced more self-thoughts and fewer target thoughts than did the imagine-target condition. The control condition produced thoughts suggesting that the observers were distancing themselves from the target. Observers receiving no instructions at all reported cognitions that closely resembled those of observers who received imagine-target instructions.

### What they set out to do (purpose)

To test how perspective taking occurs.

### What they found (results)

When a participant is given instructions to take Perspective, they have more self-related thoughts. Also, people who were given the Perspective instructions “produce more self-related, and fewer target-related, thoughts than imagine-target instructions.”

## Commentary

### In short

More globally, there was an indication that there is something inherent about Perspective-taking, as maintaining a control group that did no Perspective taking was difficult. This could indicate that taking another’s Perspective is a “natural” state for humans.

### In more detail

Davis et al 2004 performed two experiments to test how Perspective taking occurs. “In the first, a thought-listing procedure was used to assess observer cognitions; in the second, a less reactive measure was used.” The results of these studies showed a few things. The first is that when a participant is given instructions to take Perspective, they have more self-related thoughts. Also, people who were given the Perspective instructions “produce more self-related, and fewer target-related, thoughts than imagine-target instructions.” More globally, there was an indication that there is something inherent about Perspective-taking, as maintaining a control group that did no Perspective taking was difficult. This could indicate that taking another’s Perspective is a “natural” state for humans.

**Patterns it shows** P

**How to cite this** Davis et al. (2004). Cognitions Associated With Attempts to Empathize: How Do We Imagine the Perspective of Another?. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN.