Report and Operational Definitions

Report and Operational Definition
Name
Institution
Report and Operational Definition
Hypothesis
Ho: A higher level of empathy increases morality in a person.
Operationalizing Variables
Morality is a sense of right and wrong that directs the behavior of a person. On the other hand, empathy is being able to understand and feel the situation a person is and relate to it without having to experience it first-hand. It has been argued that people with a higher level of morality are expected to show a higher empathy for other people as well. This theory complements practical facts to some extent, and this study will be designed to strengthen the argument and find more ground for the story.
The study will be following the pattern of Toronto Empathy Questionnaire where a set of 16 questions is used to measure the level of empathy in people. To quantify this study, a couple of questions will be added to the equation in order to measure the connection between the two main conducts; morality and empathy. The independent variable is empathy while the dependent variable is morality. A Likert scale will be used to measure the independent variables in the equation. For instance, self-evaluation questions will be aimed to identify the emotional sensitivity of a person.
An operational definition of empathy is when a person is able to understand the problem of others and do not feel agitated because of that while morality is about respecting people’s feelings and understanding what is good and bad to do in a certain situation.

Questions about how a person feels when he or she sees another person sad or crying, how they respond and cheer them up will help identify the physiological reaction of these respondents. The number of times a person says empathetic words like thank you, sorry, or please in his speech while talking shows that he is softer in nature and has empathetic tendencies. This can be a way used to quantify empathetic behavior that will also lead to connecting that to morality since the main instrument here is words of affection CITATION Sil161 l 1033 (Silva, 2016). The scale will allow the participants to choose between, very likely, somewhat likely, neutral, not likely, not likely at all. This will be a way to quantify the severity of the emotion.
A total number of 20 questions will be included in the survey. All the questions will be designed in a way to nullify a lack of empathy and morality. The highest option on the scale will give a score of five while the least option will assign one score. Hence, a person with the highest score will be proven to have a higher level of empathy and morality and vice versa. Respondents will be asked to provide their responses on the scale. As an example, a person being asked about his/her feeling to a sad person can be represented in four ways; feel very sad, sad, neutral and not sad. This will help determine how much empathy the respondent has.
Taking ownership and responsibility is another a way to connect empathy to morality. A question will ask the respondent whether he stands up if he sees a person being treated unfairly. If the response is on the positive side of the scale, it shows a higher level of social responsibility and thus a higher level of morality and empathy. Some of the questions will include:
I feel sad when I see someone in grief.
I want to comfort a child when he/she is crying.
I care for people no matter what relationship I have with them.
I make sure that I am there when my friends need me.
Reference
BIBLIOGRAPHY Silva, S. (2016). Morality and Emotion (1 ed., Vol. 1). New York: Routledge. Retrieved January 31, 2018