Extreme male brains Flashcards
triad of impairments
communication/language
social interaction
restrictive/repetitive behaviour
mind blindness
children with autism are slower in being able to understand the thoughts and feelings of others
whats wrong with mind blindness theory
only applies to 2/3 traids
when did baren-cohen come up with the ES theory
1985
ES theory
these are the 2 factors needed to explain the social and non-social factors of autism.
what is systemising
need to analyse and construct systems
what is empathising
the ability to understand other’s feelings
why are people with autism better at systemising
they have a need for sameness and predicitability
why are people with autism worse at empathising
due to having a lack of inbuilt ability to recognise that others have thoughts and feelings (BC 2002)
empathy-systemising quotient
women are more empathetic whereas men are more systematic (BC 2009)
Strengths
can explain both social and non-social aspects of autism
below average empathy is due to social and communication difficulties
teach autistic people about empathising
less stigma attached to ES, down to individual differences
weaknesses
provides limited evidence as it is just one questionnaire, however it does allows for us to make predictions
what is the extreme male brain
they theory more males are diagnosed with autism
ratio?
4:1 ratio in favour to males (Fambonne, 2005)
what is testosterone
a hormone that drives the development of male physical and cognitive characteristics (BC, 2002)
