Chinese version of empathy scale for AI systems shows cultural differences
A Systematic and Validated Translation of the Perceived Empathy of Technology Scale to Chinese
Human-Computer Interaction
Summary
Measuring how people feel AI systems understand and share their emotions helps improve technology for mental health and support. The authors translated and tested a popular empathy scale into Chinese to see if it works the same way across cultures. They found that the Chinese version is reliable and measures empathy similarly to the English one, but differences emerged in how non-empathic behaviors are perceived. This tool now helps developers create empathic AI systems that fit Chinese-speaking users better.
What this means in practice
- •For human-computer interaction designers: Assess empathy perceptions among Chinese-speaking users to tailor AI system responses in emotional applications.
- •For multilingual ai product teams: Use the validated Chinese empathy scale to evaluate and compare cross-cultural differences in user experience design.
Authors
Matthias Schmidmaier, Jingyao Zheng, Jie Song, Lik-Hang Lee, Sven Mayer
Abstract
The Perceived Empathy of Technology Scale (PETS) allows evaluation of empathic behavior in intelligent systems, a concept increasingly applied in human-AI interaction, particularly in emotional and mental health support applications. To support intercultural research and development, PETS is already available in multiple languages, as research suggests cultural and language-based differences in the expression and perception of empathy. Given the substantial Chinese-speaking population and the growing focus on cross-cultural HCI research, we present a validated translation of PETS into Putonghua (Mandarin) with Simplified Chinese. Based on established back-translation methodologies as used in previous PETS translations, our process included multiple independent translations, expert panel reviews, and empirical testing with a total of N=400 participants from an English and a Chinese sample. Through confirmatory factor analysis and invariance testing we show that the Chinese PETS retains the original two-factor structure with high reliability, with support for configural, metric, and scalar invariance. Beyond validation, empathic system behavior was rated equivalently across languages, while non-empathic behavior drew substantially higher ratings from Chinese participants, suggesting its absence is read less consistently across cultures than its presence. This validated Chinese version enables researchers and practitioners to assess empathy perceptions among Chinese-speaking users, supporting culturally appropriate empathic technology development.