Empathic accuracy: When does the perceiver-target relationship make a difference?

This study sought to determine whether a friend-observer who eavesdrops on a friend-interactant's initial conversation with a stranger will be more accurate in inferring the friend-interactant's thoughts and feelings than will either the stranger-interaction partner or a stranger-observer. The empirical answer in this case was 'no', suggesting that the meaning context established in the interactants' initial conversation was generic rather than esoteric (i.e. it did not uniquely benefit the empathic accuracy of the friend-observer). The findings also revealed, however, that nearly half of the variance in the perceivers' empathic accuracy scores was accounted for by differences in the overall 'readability' of the various targets; and that, contrary to the cultural stereotype regarding the superiority of 'women's intuition', there was no reliable sex difference in the perceivers' empathic accuracy scores. The discussion focused on the conditions in which the hypothesized empathic advantage of the friend-observer might be evident.