Extreme Male Brain Flashcards
What are the two psychological dimensions identified by Baron-Cohen et al. (2002) in their theory of autism?
The two psychological dimensions are empathizing and systemizing, which lie on a continuum.
Which study proposed the empathizing/systemizing theory and the extreme male brain theory of autism?
Baron-Cohen et al. (2002).
How is empathising defined in the Empathising/Systemising theory?
Empathising is defined as the drive to identify emotions and thoughts in others and to respond to these with an appropriate emotion.
How is systemising defined in the Empathising/Systemising theory?
Systemising is defined as the drive to construct systems.
What are the five brain types proposed by Baron-Cohen et al. (2002)?
The female brain (empathizing > systemizing)
The male brain (systemizing > empathizing)
The balanced brain (empathizing and systemizing are equally developed)
The extreme male brain (systemizing is over-developed)
The extreme female brain (empathizing is over-developed)
What brain type is associated with an over-developed systemising ability?
The extreme male brain is associated with an overdeveloped systemising ability.
Which brain type in the Empathising/Systemising theory is characterised by an over-developed empathising ability?
The extreme female brain is characterised by an overdeveloped empathising ability.
What is the Empathy Quotient (EQ),?
The EQ is a questionnaire developed by Baron-Cohen et al. (2002)
Why was EQ developed?
To measure individual differences in empathy in adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA) who have normal intelligence
What did Baron-Cohen et al. (2002) find about empathy in adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA)
They found that 81% of adults with AS/HFA scored 30 or below on the EQ (out of 80), compared to only 12% of controls, indicating a significant empathy deficit.
How did typical males and females differ in EQ scores?
Typical males scored lower on empathy than females, confirming known sex differences in empathic ability.
How do these findings support the Extreme Male Brain theory?
The data showed that individuals with autism had even lower empathy scores than typical males, suggesting autism reflects an extreme version of the male cognitive profile (high systemising, low empathising).
What cognitive pattern does the Extreme Male Brain theory associate with autism?
The theory suggests that autism is characterized by unusually low empathy and unusually high systemizing, mirroring an exaggerated form of the typical male brain.
What evidence from Baron-Cohen et al. (2002) supports the EMB theory?
The evidence comes from EQ score comparisons: females > males > AS/HFA, indicating a continuum from typical female to extreme male brain.
What task shows impaired empathizing in people with autism?
The “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” task, where autistic individuals struggled to infer mental states from others’ eyes.
How do people with autism perform on the EQ compared to neurotypical people?
They score significantly lower, showing a clear deficit in empathizing.
What tasks show enhanced systemising abilities in autistic individuals?
Intuitive physics tasks and visual search tasks, where autistic individuals often outperform neurotypicals.
What study supports enhanced visual systemising in autism?
O’Riordan & Plaisted (2001), which found autistic individuals performed better in visual search tasks.
What is intuitive physics, and how is it linked to autism?
It refers to the ability to understand and predict physical systems. Baron-Cohen (1986, 2001) found that autistic individuals often excel in these tasks.
What large-scale study provided strong support for the EMB theory?
Greenberg et al. (2018), which tested over half a million people and found patterns in empathy and systemizing consistent with the EMB theory.
What cognitive profile did Greenberg et al. (2018) find in males vs. females?
Males generally had higher systemizing and lower empathy scores; females had the opposite pattern.
How did people with autism score in Greenberg et al. (2018)?
They had the highest systemizing and lowest empathy scores — an extreme version of the male profile, supporting the EMB theory.
What did Scheeren et al. (2013) find regarding empathy in children with autism?
They found that children and adolescents with ASD showed similar levels of empathy as typically developing (TD) peers during brief acted-out social scenarios, challenging the claim of universal empathy deficits in autism.
Is hypersystemizing unique to or universal in autism?
No, there is no evidence that hypersystemizing is exclusive to autism or present in all individuals with autism.
